Francis Bonnefoy Must Die
by Alice Kirkland FTW
Summary: Alice usually hates the notorious Francis Bonnefoy,but when he makes her an offer she can't refuse, they go out and she falls for him. Alice's friends aren't as happy with her new relationship and propose revenge on him. Will Alice's relationship survive?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I regretted picking up the phone as soon as I heard the snobby French accent on the other end.

"Bonjour, mon cher~," he sang, and I had to hold back a retch. "Have you thought any more about my proposition?"

I'm not sure why I almost choked on my tea. The Frog had been calling every day for the past week to make the same offer: dinner and a movie with him and he would give me the one magical book that he had but I didn't.

I had to admit, it was tempting. In fact, on several occasions, I was _thisclose_ to taking him up on it, but the thoughts of what he could do to me in a dark movie theatre quickly changed my mind.

Not to say that I couldn't enjoy some of it... And besides, I needed that book to complete my collection.

Before I could stop, I found myself saying, "Sure, why not? But I had better get that book."

"Come now, Alice, please re- Wait, did you just agree?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at his confusion. "Well, I said yes, didn't I?"

Francis was obviously shocked, but wasted no time in making the arrangements. "I'll pick you up at 6 and then we'll eat dinner at In Napoli and go to the movie, oui?"

"Sounds fine. See you then," I said and hung up, still not believing what was happening.

I, Alice Kirkland, had a date.

With the Frog.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Extremely short first chapter is short. Reason for that is the fact that I hadn't originally written it in chapter form, so I'm trying to figure out what would be the best ending for each chapter,and I figured this would be the best ending for chapter 1. I'm obviously still gonna do Similar Thoughts, but I can't work on it in school 'cause it started to get a little...heated,shall we say,so I do this in school to satisfy my urge to write,and therefore,this will be updated much more often_

_Fun Fact: In Napoli is a real restaurant. My parents actually know the owners._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I had to give him credit, though: he was at my dorm at exactly 6 o'clock and actually came to the door instead of just honking the car horn.

When we got to the car itself, he opened and closed the door for me and asked if I wanted to adjust the heat or change the radio station.

I could get used to this.

As an added bonus, he didn't look even remotely frog-like with his long blonde hair waving its way down to his shoulders, which were covered only by a plain white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I hadn't gotten a good look at what he had on his legs, but I was sure they looked simply _delicious_.

Whoa. Wait, what? How are human legs, unless one is a cannibal, _delicious_? And even Francis, by loose definition, was a human. Therefore, his legs could not be delicious. Sexy was a better word, I decided, and rephrased my thought:

I was sure they looked bloody sexy.

Wait, _what_? This time, it wasn't the wording that bothered me; it was the thought itself. Why it wasn't the thought that bothered me the first time was beyond me, but I needed to focus on the problem at hand:

I had considered that Francis- Francis _Bonnefoy_- was _sexy_.

Which he most certainly was _not_.

'_Not with his clothes on, anyway,'_ a small part of my subconscious whispered, and I promptly told it to shut its bloody trap.

...

The ride to the restaurant was never silent, as Francis (surprisingly) always had something interesting to talk about. It was the same way when we were _in _the restaurant. I was almost dreading the movie because I had actually started to enjoy Francis' company.

And, I'll admit, I was still a little scared of what he might do to me in the theatre. I mean, this was _Francis_, the boy who was known all over campus for his record with girls: he had been with every girl in school in SOME way.

Except me.

And it would look good to have a perfect..._ track record_, so to speak, right?

So I needed to be on my guard.

Unless I _wanted_ what he was doing to me.

But I wouldn't.

Because Francis was just a friend to me, and barely even that.

I was vaguely aware of the fact that the aforementioned Frenchman had asked me a question. Something about doing this again, I think?

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry. What had you said?" I really did feel bad about not paying attention, but as you all saw, I was a tad preoccupied with my thoughts.

"Non, non, it's alright," he said, but between the forced tone of his voice and the fact that his grip on the steering wheel tightened _ever so slightly_, I got the feeling that it wasn't so. He must not have liked repeating himself. I made a mental note of that for later. "I just asked if, since you seem to be enjoying yourself, you might want to do this again?"

I snorted slightly in response. "Wow. The night's not even over and you're _already_ asking me out again? You must _really _enjoy my company."

His grip tightened a bit more and his face turned a light shade of red. "Well, y-ye, I _do_ like spending time with you. A-and besides, you are far more interesting than everyone says you are."

I turned to stare at him openly until I was _sure_ he was serious.

Well _fuck_ (and that wasn't a word I used often). He was bloody _serious_. He had just called me _interesting_.

_Me._

Alice Rose Kirkland.

_Interesting._

I needed to give a witty response before he thought I was brain-dead or completely incapable of comprehending the fact that someone thought I was interesting (and while the latter was true, there was no way I would ever admit that to Francis).

"Oh. Um, t-thank you."

Fuck.

Damn, hanging out with Emily was really starting to affect my vocabulary.

But now was not the time to worry about my disintegrating profanity filter.

Now was the time to worry about the fact that Francis was chuckling. He had most likely been expecting the witty response I had been planning to give, or even a sarcastic one.

Wait! I still had a few seconds before a sarcastic remark would be awkward!

"Well, then again, not many people know about my daily skydiving trips," I finally said with a snicker.

He finally looked more at ease when I started acting like myself again.

"Well," he said just as sarcastically, "maybe you could tell me about them next time." He seemed to grow nervous again as he looked in my direction with what I thought was a look of hope and worry, but I could have been wrong. "That is, i-if you... if you _want _to do this again..."

Before I answered, though, I remembered why I had even agreed to this in the first place: to get that book he promised.

But I was having a good time, so there wasn't any harm in doing this again, right?

Ah, the hell with it.

"Well, I'm having a much better time than I had expected, so I don't see why not," I replied nonchalantly as I pushed my glasses farther up my nose.

His face lit up as he pulled into the local drive-in movie theatre.

...

I hadn't expected the drive-in, but I was much nicer than a regular movie theatre.

'_Sort of like Francis,'_ I thought. _'You don't expect it, but he's much nicer than regular guys.'_

I didn't even tell myself to shut up.

Boy, would _that_ be a story for Emily and Madeline.

Anyway, Francis was a complete gentleman, not once trying to make a move. He surprised me by not even trying the 'yawn-and-stretch-to-put-your-arm-around-the-girl' trick like I had expected.

I guess I had severely misjudged him.

When he dropped me off, he walked me to the door and handed me the book he had promised.

"I'll call you," he said as I stepped inside.

I'm sure I started blushing madly at his promise, so I just nodded as he smiled giddily and went back to his car.

When I closed the door, I sank to the floor against it with a startling realization.

I, Alice Kirkland, was in love.

With the Frog.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Francis never called.

Rather, the next day during our lunch break, he came up to the table I was sitting at with Emily and Madeline. He snuck up behind me and covered my eyes. It really wasn't hard to know it was the tall French boy I had gone out with the previous night.

Emily's rapid kicks to my shin, the fact that she wasn't telling the person to fuck off, and the fact that he leaned down and whispered his trademark, "Bonjour, mon cher~," in my ear was all the proof I needed.

"Hello, Francis. You can uncover my eyes, now," I said with a bit of a giggle. I'm sure that earned me stares from Emily and Maddie, but I would deal with that later.

In the meantime, Francis still hadn't uncovered my eyes and whispered, "I could, but it's so much more fun when you don't know what's going to happen next," as he kissed my cheek.

Emily's kicks got harder, and she punctuated each one with a soft, "Dude."

Francis finally uncovered my eyes, allowing me to see his smirk as he sat down and put his arm around me, Emily and Madeline's shocked expressions, and the entire lunchroom looking at us.

He chuckled softly as he touched my burning cheek. "Well, I'm sure people will think you're much more interesting, now."

I looked up at him. "Is that the only reason you came over here?"

He honestly looked a bit insulted. "Of course not! I wanted to talk to you, of course! How is that book I gave you?"

Emily's kicks grew harder still, and it really started to hurt. "Will you stop that?" I asked her, turning back in her direction. Facing Francis again, I sheepishly told him, "I actually haven't had a chance to start reading it."

"Ah, you were too busy thinking of me~?" He asked I that adorably annoying accent of his.

In truth, I _had_ been thinking about him too much to concentrate on the book, but I'd be damned if I told him that. "Only in your wet dreams," I said instead, but the deepening of my blush gave me away.

He laughed, but not too loudly, so as not to attract more attention. He really was a gentleman.

I liked that in a guy.

"Then how about you indulge me and my wet dreams and join me for the school carnival next week~?"

I had to play it cool in front of Emily and Madeline, but I just couldn't help it. So, I agreed automatically, and he left us.

"Okay," Emily said. "Spill. _Now_."

...

When I finished telling my epic story of romance and adventure (OK, not really, but not the point), I had expected the girls to squeal and gush.

Not look at each other silently and then at me. I had completely forgotten that both Emily and Madeline had been added to Francis' list of conquests.

Finally, Emily broke the silence with a grim command.

"Be careful."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Triple update?What is this, I don't , I'm done for the night._

_Fun Fact: 'In your wet dreams' is a common comeback of mine whenever a guy says something like that to me._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A little bit of info on Em and Maddie:

Firstly, they've been my best friends for as long as I can remember.

Next, most people assume they're twins, but they're just really close friends. And while they do look alike, the reason for this thinking is not solely based on looks. The reason is that, despite their clashing personalities (Emily was a loud, athletic tomboy; Madeline was more quiet, intellectual, and feminine), they were usually thinking the same thing.

Anyway, during our freshman year of high school two years ago, Francis asked Madeline out and, he being popular and a full year older than us, she accepted.

On their second date, he finally showed his true colors by feeling her up in a movie theatre.

She ran all the way to my and Emily's dorm room and into our arms before bursting into tears.

When Emily went to confront him the next day, he flirted with her shamelessly, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on her back in the back of Francis' car with her shirt and bra on the floor and his hands all over her. When she realized what was happening, she punched him in the gut to get him off of her, pulled her clothes on, kicked him where it hurts for good measure, and sprinted back to me and Madeline and started crying.

...

So I shouldn't have been surprised when Emily issued that grave warning.

But I was.

I wanted to reassure them that I would be fine, that I could take care of myself, but they could, too.

And they still fell victim to Francis' charms.

What was stopping it from happening to me?

I was jolted from my thoughts by Emily's newest scheme.

"You guys," she said with an almost evil glint in her eyes, "we should use this opprotunity for revenge."

* * *

><p><em>AN: This chapter is much shorter than I originally wrote it because I had originally given descriptions on what they looked like,but decided not to put it in when I was typing will (most likely) be the only character introduction chapter_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Absolutely not," I said. Francis was the first boy (not counting Emily's brother Alfred) to show any real interest in me.

Speak of the devil...

Alfred chose that moment to slide into the seat next to me and rub my head.

"Ladies," he greeted us. "Emily."

Emily just laughed at her brother.

"You're just jealous you'll never get any of this," she joked as she gestured to herself.

"Haha! Allie's enough for me," he retorted as he winked at me and draped his arm over my shoulder.

"Actually, bro, Alice is off the market," Emily retaliated. "She's going out with _Francis_."

The goofy grin immediately fell from Alfred's face as he let his arm drop and he turned to face me.

"...Is this true, Alice?" He asked very seriously after a few seconds, making me wince.

Alfred never used my full first name unless he was worried about or angry at me, always choosing to use silly nicknames such as the aforesaid 'Allie,' 'Al,' or even on one occasion, 'Captain Kirk,' but he quickly gave up on that one once I hit him on the head with my History textbook.

Moving on, his concern made my voice get caught in my throat, so I just pushed my glasses up my nose and nodded.

He turned back to Emily and Madeline and asked them, "OK, what are we gonna do about this?"

For once, Madeline spoke up. "Well," she started, "Emily said that we should use this opportunity for revenge-"

"I love it already," Alfred interrupted, earning him glares from Emily and Maddie.

"As I was saying," she continued, "if I'm right, then the revenge Emily has in mind is somewhat _John Tucker Must Die_-ish. Am I close?"

Emily nodded, and Alfred just looked confused, so I explained with an exasperated sigh. "Basically, make me irresistible and then have me lead him on and break his heart." I looked at each of them in turn. "And I'm not doing it."

They seemed to have not heard me, though.

"I'm in," Alfred said. "We'll meet up in Emily and Allie's room after class. Do you guys have the movie?"

Emily nodded again. "Alright. Seeya later, bro."

Alfred bounded off, leaving us girls alone.

"So Alice, for your transformation-"

"I'm not doing it," I told them, not even giving Emily the chance to finish her sentence. "I like him, and I really think he likes me."

"I liked him, and I thought he really liked me," Madeline spoke up again. "Look at what happened to me."

I flinched. It wasn't like Maddie to be so blunt, and I felt guilty for being so inconsiderate.

They both stared at me, waiting for me to crack.

Which, I'm ashamed to say, I did.

"Fine. After class, I'll listen to your ideas. I'll tough out our second date and, if he does anything, we'll do this. If not, you guys admit that he actually likes me and that he's not that bad of a guy."

Emily looked at me skeptically. "It doesn't always happen on the second date. Remember Katarina Vargas? Took him seven dates. Marianne Baleines: twelve dates. Isabel Hernandez Carriedo: fifteen. It's not a matter of 'if.' It's a matter of '_when_.' It's now or never, Alice."

* * *

><p><em>'s going to be <em>John Tucker Must Die_-ish.I realized it when I was writing it and literally headdesked.I didn't want it to be like that,but we'll just have to see where it thing with the might end up as USUK.I have honestly no idea, again, we'll just have to see where it goes._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

In the end, against my better judgment, I chose now.

I'm not completely sure why, but hurting Francis even though he was a complete gentleman to me held massive appeal.

So after class, as planned, we met up in my and Emily's room to watch the movie and plot.

...

After the movie ended, Emily and Alfred decided that I would be Kate, the invisible heart-breaker, Maddie would be Carrie, the overachiever of John's revenge party, Emily would be Heather, the popular cheerleader, and Alfred would be Beth, the vegan that taught Kate how to kiss (which I'm sure is the only reason he chose to be Beth).

All in all, though, our roles suited us fairly well... except for Alfred.

While we were starting to make plans, my phone started to ring.

Of course, it was Francis.

"Wait three more seconds, then put it on speaker," Emily expertly instructed.

So I did.

What? I didn't know anything about this stuff!

"Bonjour, mon cher~," he purred seductively. "Are you alone right now~?"

Emily nodded frantically. "Um, y-yes. Why do you ask?"

"Wonderful~ Then would you care to come over to my dorm and indulge me a bit early~?"

Alfred grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil from his backpack and scribbled furiously, '_Say you're working on a project.'_

"Actually, um, I'm working on a project right now..."

"Ah, that's too bad. Maybe I could come over and..._help_ with your project~?"

Emily grabbed the paper and pencil from her older brother and wrote quickly, _'Turn the speaker off. Don't worry, I have a plan.'_

I did as she instructed and nodded to show I was ready.

She opened and slammed the door, calling out, "Honey, I'm ho-me~!"

I envied Emily's ability to think on her toes, I really did.

"Oh, sorry, Emily just got home. I-I'll see you tomorrow," I said quickly, not even waiting for an answer before I hung up and jumped up to hug my savior and thank her profusely.

"Alice, don't worry about it. Let's get back to your new look," she said with a grin.

...

"First of all," Emily started, "you need to keep your hair down; it looks better that way. Next: contacts. Let's see, you're also gonna need to know how to walk in heels and how to put on makeup. Now, we _need _to get you some new clothes. Al, stay here. Maddie, come with us. We're going shopping, girls."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Shopping spree~~~!No, I didn't actually write it. I tell ABOUT it, but I don't write it. It would probably be painful. For ALL of us. Me 'cause I'd be writing it and I'm not into shopping spree usless they're to like, GameStop or Barnes and Noble or somewhere like that. You 'cause you'd have to read my terrible attempt at capturing the atmosphere of a teenage girl(SPOILER ALERT: and boy :SPOILER ALERT OVER) shopping spree. So I didn't write the shopping spree. I actually have most of the next chapter written, but I still need to finish and type it up, but I don't know when that'll end up being, so if it's after the new year comes, happy holidays and happy new year to all you guys~!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Needless to say, Alfred complained about not being able to come with us until we finally cracked.

But, when we got back, thanks to Emily's fashion expertise, I had four new outfits, three pairs of high heels, two push-up bras and matching thongs (Alfred enjoyed me modeling those), contact lenses, and about seven types of makeup. And thanks to Madeline's sensibility, we only spent about two hundred dollars.

So, after three hours of hardcore shopping, Emily started playing with my hair and showing me how to apply the makeup. In the meantime, Madeline looked through my clothes to see what could be tampered with to save some money while Alfred was sprawled across my bed staring at us with a bored expression.

"I'm boooored," he finally complained.

Emily took her hands from my face and sighed. "Alice, are you free tomorrow night?" I nodded and she smiled. "Alright, we'll need to speed up the heel training, but Alfred, you can text Francis asking if he's free tomorrow night."

About ten seconds later, he started cackling. I had just put on my first pair of heels and was wobbling around, so I thought he was laughing at me. I waddled over to him like a penguin and slapped him on the head.

"Owww. What was that for? I was laughing at what I said to Francis..."

He held up the phone for me to see, and I nearly passed out as Emily and Madeline were rushing over to see what the big deal was.

'**Hey, babe. You free tomorrow night? ;)'**

We all smacked him simultaneously as my phone vibrated with Francis' reply. I grabbed the phone while Alfred was busy rubbing his head.

'**Oui. Would you perhaps care to join me for a movie in my room?'**

Emily snatched the phone away from me before any of us could try to reply.

'**Sounds great. What time?'** She wrote, and smacked Alfred on the head once more for good measure. "I vote we never let Alfred pretend to be Alice and text Francis ever again. All in favor?"

My and Madeline's hands shot up as Alfred pouted.

"Oh, come oooonnn," he whined. "I was _bored_! And I figured saying that would be funny," he defended. "And it was!" He continued with a grin.

I wobbled over to a chair and sat down, only coming close to falling down twice.

'**Right after dinner. Meet me by the front of the cafeteria,'** Francis had replied when we saw my phone light up with his reply.

"Alright, Alice. Three laps around the room without stumbling, and heel training is done," Emily dictated as she typed something to Francis that I didn't get to see. "Then, as much as it pains me to say this, you'll need to practice kissing with Alfred."

* * *

><p><em>AN: This is probably my least favorite chapter so far, but I still like the basis of the chapter, so I kept the edits to a minimum. But yeah, told you I wouldn't write the actual shopping spree. I seriously don't like shopping for clothes and makeup and all that crap, so I woulnd't be very good at writing it. So no torture today...maybe._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As I'm sure you can imagine, Al was ecstatic about helping me with my kissing and was my most avid supporter as I did my laps. When I was done, he pulled me onto the bed next to him.

"Just pretend he's Francis," Madeline suggested before leaving the room with Emily in tow, most likely to make me feel better about kissing one of my best friends.

Alfred just laughed. "Screw that! You should never pretend a hero is someone else when you kiss them!"

So I didn't pretend.

And it was... nice.

But then again, I didn't have much to compare it to.

So I was sure Francis' kisses would be better.

Even though Alfred had always been a good kisser...

...

When Emily, Madeline, and I were seven and Alfred was eight, he declared that one of us would be his wife, as so many seven- and eight-year-olds pretend. He chose me, and we were "married" that afternoon by Emily.

At the end of the wedding, when the traditional "You may now kiss the bride," was spoken, I stood there awkwardly blushing, waiting for him to kiss me. When he finally did, it was soft and warm, but I never considered it my first kiss.

Even though he, ten years later, still joked that I had ruined him for other girls.

And that that kiss was the reason his reputation with girls was almost as tarnished as Francis', as he was supposedly trying to find a girl that could compare to seven-year-old me.

...

Anyway, when he pulled away, he was panting softly and told me, "You've improved a lot in the past ten years. Now I _know_ you've ruined me for other girls," with a wink, making me blush madly.

Emily called out asking if we were done, then walked in without waiting for an answer. "Well?" She asked.

"She's ready," Alfred confirmed with a nod.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm sorry this is so short(that's what she said), and I know I said I probably wouldn't have any more backstories, but I NEEDED to do this! Alfred and Alice HAD to have some sort of history! Anyway, I'm almost done with chapter 9, so when I finish writing/typing that, I'll post it and then probably take a hiatus from this fic to work on Paranoia and Pulses, and focus more on dA, friends, and school, 'cause one of my friends is starting to think I'm over-stressing myself with writing, so I'm cutting down for a bit_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next night, Alfred, Emily, and Madeline were fussing over me at dinner, making sure my hair and makeup were done _just so_ and that my clothes were _just right_.

In short, I was a doll.

But a sexy doll, I saw, when I went to the restroom with Em and Maddie. But no matter how gorgeous they said I looked or how I would knock him dead, I was still nervous. He had told his roommate to stay out for a few hours, but we would only be watching a movie, right?

So when I met him outside the cafeteria after dinner, I was practically trembling. Francis must have assumed it was because of the cold (even though it was bloody _freezing_), because he draped his jacket and arm over my shoulder s and walked me back to his room like that.

Well, no going back now.

...

The first thing I noticed about Francis' room was how clean it was. Well, his side, anyway. Gilbert mostly had his stuff thrown around his side of the room.

But Francis' side was the opposite: clean and organized and generally a nice place to be.

"Why don't you sit down on the bed? I'll have the movie ready in a minute," he suggested with a nod toward the neatly made bed behind us.

I'll admit, I was a tad nervous (OK, so nervous I thought I would piss my pants... skirt, whatever, but that wasn't the point) as I sat down on the bed the way Emily taught me to: leaning forward onto my legs, which would be in front of me, bent slightly at the knees, with my arms wrapped loosely around them.

My miniskirt was already riding up, and when he turned toward me, Francis' eyes lingered on my bare thighs a few seconds longer than necessary before I adjusted it and he crawled behind me to wrap his arms around my waist as he started the movie.

I didn't remember which movie we saw; I was focused on the blonde Frenchman behind me. The way he held me wasn't obscene or implicative, just a comfortable embrace with his arms around me. I nuzzled backward into his chest (which smelled like Old Spice; I liked that) and his toned muscled automatically tightened around my waist as he placed a lingering kiss on my cheek.

...

All too soon, though, the movie was over and he released me.

It was about 9:30, so I had roughly half an hour before curfew to get back to my room. And even though most people were in their dorms already, Francis, being the gentleman he is, insisted on walking me back.

"You never know who is walking around at this time of night, mon cher," he warned me.

"Aside from us, you mean," I countered lamely. Nevertheless, I allowed him to escort me back to my dorm.

...

As I expected, aside from some pleasant conversation, nothing noteworthy happened on the walk across campus.

When we were standing in front of the dorm, however, was another matter.

He wrapped his arms around me again and kissed me. No prelude or anything, and nothing too forward; just a kiss. Even so, it was a good thing he was holding me, because my legs turned to Jell-O the moment our lips touched.

And yes, his kisses _were_ better than Alfred's.

He pulled away slightly and asked me, "I will see you tomorrow, non?"

I nodded dumbly as a grin spread across his face and he loped off once I unlocked the door.

I walked inside and up the stairs in a daze. When I finally opened the door to my room, I was greeted with the sight of the youngest of my older brothers sitting on my bed with his arms crossed angrily.

Arthur was here.

Well, _fuck_.

* * *

><p><em>AN: OK, a few things._

_Frist: SCREW THE HIATUS. We all know I'd keep writing this while I'm supposedly taking a break, anyway._

_Next order of business: yes, ARTHUR. I think we all knew that I would write him in eventually, so I figured 'Why not now?'_

_Next, I just wanna thank you guys for reviewing! It really means a lot that you like what I write, and seeing all your positive comments give me the drive to keep going, even when things get tough._

_As long as I'm on the subject of reviews, a couple of people have mentioned that they've never seen John Tucker Must Die. This is unacceptable. It is an amazing movie, and I COMMAND YOU ALL TO WATCH IT!_

_Okay, not really, but it'd make me really happy if you do..._

_And now for another random fun fact~! I had initially intended for this to be a one-shot. Seriously. NOW look at it! I'm not sure if I should be proud or despairing... Maybe both... Excuse me while I go try that and then type up chapter 10..._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Where the hell were you, young lady?" He demanded. "And why the bloody hell are you dressed like that? I told Mum and Dad that I'd take care of you here! I'm not going to let you turn into a little slut!"

"First of all, Arthur, I'm not a child anymore! I can take care of myself! Secondly, I was on a date, not that it's any of your business! And if-"

"I'm sorry, but did you just say that it's not my business? I'm your _brother_, Alice! Of _course_ it's my business!" He yelled, and I snapped.

"No it's not, you sniveling little rat-faced git! It's _my_ life, and who I date is my business only!"

"Oh _really_? Then how come I head you were dating _the Frog_ from _Alfred_?"

I took a step back and cursed under my breath. I would have to kill Alfred later.

Arthur saw my expression, and his tone softened.

"Why, Alice?" He pleaded. "Why?"

I couldn't answer him. I just turned away and asked him, "Why aren't you in your room Curfew is in a few minutes."

"I needed to know what all..._this_," he said as he gestured to my unusual appearance, "was about. I'm still your older brother, Alice. I'm _going_ to worry about you."

I couldn't help it at that point. I kicked off my heels and went over to hug him. Usually we were both opposed to physical contact with each other, and this was unexpected, so he stiffened.

"Um... Well, I'm sure you're wondering where Emily and Madeline are. They're over in Maddie's room," he informed me as he pried my arms from his waist. "And, as you pointed out, it's almost curfew, so I had better get going."

He turned to leave, but before he could, I decided to ask him for a favor. "Arthur?" I asked, and he turned around. "Will you tell Alfred he's a dead man the next time I see him?"

Arthur smiled. "Sure thing, luv. But promise me one thing," he said as his mood darkened a bit. "Promise me that you'll be careful. I don't want to have to kill someone."

I nodded, partly because I was touched at how much he cared, and partly because he looked bloody _serious_ about the killing part.

And on that _oh so pleasant_ note, accompanied by the same warning Emily had given me the day before, he left.

* * *

><p><em>AN: 10 chapters already and still going! I've decided to go with 'proud,' in case you didn't notice. I just noticed that Alice's relationship with Arthur is kinda like my relationship with my brother...except less explosive. But we ARE really awkward around each other and usually refuse to come into physical contact with each other unless we're sparring. Then, all bets are off ^^_

_Fun Fact: 'Sniveling little rat-faced git' is an insult my mom taught me a few years back to say to the guys that bullied me and my friends on a regular basis._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As my brother said I would, I found Emily and Madeline in the latter's room playing 'Pretty Pretty Princess.' I walked in just in time to hear Emily scream, _**"GIMME THE CROWN, BITCH!"**_

You see why I love them and why they're my best friends.

I shook my head at them. "You started playing without me? How could you? First leaving me alone with Arthur and now not waiting for me? I thought you guys were my friends," I guilted and pretended to wipe away a tear.

They stopped fighting over the plastic crown, Emily's hands frozen mid-yank and Madeline's trying to keep it in place, and looked up at me. The toy was promptly forgotten as they pounced on me, though.

"Oh my God! What happened? I want details, woman!" Emily screeched.

...

So I ended up telling them everything but the kiss. It didn't feel nearly as personal now that they knew, though, and I couldn't say I liked it.

"So nothing else happened?" Madeline asked.

"Nope," I answered a bit uneasily.

"Are you _sure_ nothing else happened?" Emily interrogated.

"Um... Y-yes...?"

Emily narrowed her eyes at me. "Liar," she accused. "We saw you from Maddie's window."

I cringed. So I didn't _need _to tell them about the kiss.

"I can't believe you wouldn't tell us," Madeline chided me and honestly looked as though she might cry.

Emily reassured her that she would have a very serious talk with me on our way back to our room.

...

And that she did. As I padded (my shoes were still in my room) down the hallway, Emily reprimanded me endlessly about how I should trust them and tell them about major stuff like Francis kissing me.

When she was finally done, I heard the faint buzzing of my phone signifying that I had a text.

'**Alice, I know we were just together, but I need to see your face once more before I can sleep. Meet me in front of the library in an hour.'**

I was vaguely aware of Emily reading over my shoulder.

"Get ready," she instructed.

* * *

><p><em>AN: It took me hours of work, but I can finally say the first two paragraphs of this chapter in a British accent with a straight face. Also, the "GIMME THE CROWN, BITCH!" is from one time when two of my friends and I were playing 'Pretty Pretty Princess' in my friend's basement. No joke. It actually happened, and it was like, last year (meaning we would have all been either 15[them] or 14[me] years old). That's how my friend got the nickname 'Bitch.' ^_^ If you're reading this, you guys know who you are and I love you~ 3_

_Anyway, I've got chapter 12 done, but its quarter after 8 where I am right now, and if I don't get some dinner soon, my parents are gonna kill me, so I'll probably type it up and post it tomorrow. Until then, g'night, guys~! I love you~~~_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

And surprisingly, I did so without complaining.

So an hour later, I was standing outside the library freezing my arse off waiting for Francis to show up.

I checked the time on my phone again. It wasn't like him to be late. I decided to call to see what was going on. That seemed like a good course of action.

A few seconds after I pressed dial, just as his phone was starting to ring, his ringtone started playing. It was incredibly stupid of me, but I looked behind the old maple tree the sound seemed to be coming from. And behind it was...

Gilbert.

What?

"Gilbert, what are you doing here? Why do you have Francis' phone? Where _is_ Francis?" I bombarded.

"'I need to see your face once more before I can sleep.' Sound familiar, birdie?"

I stepped back. So if Gilbert sent that, then Francis wasn't coming. Well, that answered two questions. "But why, Gilbert?"

He chuckled. "Francis is fucking head-over-heels for you, Allie," he explained as I cringed at his usage of Alfred's favourite nickname for me. "So freaking in love that he can't focus on shit."

I had to admit I was a little flattered, but also worried. Were Francis' grades slipping because of me? Was he eating? And where exactly was Gil going with all this?

Before I could ask, though, he continued.

"You're probably wondering where I'm going with all of this," he said as a grin spread across his face and he took a step toward me. "You're not much to look at, and everyone says you're boring as hell, so I was wondering what he sees in you." He kept coming toward me, and I kept trying to retreat, until I was backed up against a tree. He put his arms on either side of me, blocking any possible chance I had of getting away, and leaned down so that his blood-red eyes were level with my emerald green ones.

"Then I realized- I felt so fucking dumb for not figuring it out sooner!- that there could only be _one thing_ that could draw Francis to a person like you. You know what I'm talking about, don't you, birdie?" He finished with a lewd smile, and I froze.

No.

No no no no no no no no.

This couldn't happen.

I wanted to scream, but my vocal chords were frozen, too.

So I shut my eyes tight so that I wouldn't have to look at that grotesque smile of his and stiffened in grim anticipation.

It looked like this was going to happen, whether I wanted it or not.

* * *

><p><em>AN: BUM BUM BUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMM. Told'ja I'd have an update today. I'm so glad it's a cliffhanger. Ah, the schadenfreude :'D_

_Is it weird that I love and hate this chapter at the same time? No, seriously. Is it?_

_Whatever. I'll post chapter 13 ('cause I finished it earlier today) either tomorrow or sunday as a holiday present to you guys. And it really is a present because- woops! No spoilers for you~! Ain't I a bitch sometimes~? P_

_Well, goodnight, interwebs!_


	13. Chapter 13 Francis' POV

_A/N #1 PLEASE READ THIS. THIS IS SUPER-DOOPER IMPORTANT:THIS CHAPTER IS TOLD FROM **FRAN****CIS' **POINT OF VIEW. I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT I JUST FELT LIKE THIS PART OF THE STORY **NEEDED **TO BE TOLD FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW. And with that, enjoy~!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

I got back from dropping Alice off and went to check my cell phone. Seeing it missing from my desk, I checked every other tabletop and drawer in the room, even looking under my bed and in my clothes in the laundry bin.

It looked like it was MIA, and I needed to find it. Because what would happen if Alice tried to call or text me and couldn't reach me?

I sat there for a few minutes thinking about her; about her laugh, her smile, her hair, her eyes, the fact that she could make me see the good in life even when I was in the darkest of moods, the way her cheeks turned red when I kissed her...

The list went on and on, but I had to come back to reality. I needed to find my phone and bring Gil back. I hadn't had my phone at dinner, so that meant that everywhere I had been before was a possibility.

Wonderful.

After giving it some more thought, though, I had spent most of the day at the library.

I would start there.

...

As I approached, I saw a tall figure with white hair approaching a smaller figure with long blonde hair.

Alice? Gilbert? What on earth were they doing there?

Gilbert backed Alice against a tree and put his hands on the trunk on either side of her body.

And she wasn't fighting back.

My best friend and my girlfriend were going behind my back.

I lost my temper then. I charged at them, knocking Gilbert down and pinning him to the ground.

I was about to beat him to a pulp when I heard Alice begin to sob. As furious as I was with her, I couldn't bear to hear her so upset, so I got off of Gilbert and walked over to her silently.

Just as she was going to get a piece of my mind, her slender arms encircled my waist and she sobbed into my chest.

I couldn't help myself: I held her as she cried and even tried to calm her.

After a few minutes of holding her, her sobs dies down and her tears trickled to a stop.

"Th-thank you f-for coming when y-you did," she said shakily with a hiccup.

I wiped a tear from her eye- crying really didn't do her justice.

"What are you and Gilbert doing here?" I asked somewhat coldly, ignoring her thanks.

"Ask _him_," she answered with a disgusted tone that matched the look she was giving Gilbert.

He looked up at us innocently. "What are you talking about?"

Alice seemed to snap when he said that. She pulled herself away from me, stomped toward him, and exploded in that cute little accent of hers.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE _YOU_ TALKING ABOUT, YOU BLOODY WANKER? GIVE ME THE FUCKING PHONE- DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK, YOU BLOODY GIT, I KNOW YOU HAVE IT- BEFORE I CLAW YOUR FACE OFF AND SEND YOU TO BLOODY BUGGERY, YOU HOBKNOCKER!"

She had such a way with words...

Gilbert shuddered, but nevertheless handed her a cell phone.

_My_ cell phone.

Alice walked back to me while pushing a few buttons until she stopped in front of me and showed me a text I supposedly sent:

'**Alice, I know we were just together, but I need to see your face once more before I can sleep. Meet me in front of the library in an hour.'**

When I tore my eyes away from the tiny screen, Alice was crying again, but luckily nothing like the waterworks from before. Even so, I held her until she calmed down, reassuring her that no, she wasn't stupid and gullible, that I wasn't mad (at her, anyway), and that I wasn't dating her just for sex. When I asked her why she thought that, though, she just grew quiet and held me tighter. Frankly, I wasn't opposed to her holding me tighter, but her silence made me uneasy.

Eventually, she calmed down and I went over to Gilbert. I picked him up by his shirt and punched him.

Hard.

I had wanted to do more, but Alice looked like she was about to fall asleep, so I let him drop to the ground and went to take her home again.

"Don't worry," I told her as I draped my jacket and arm over her shoulder, and my heart melted when she nuzzled closer to me. "I-I'll come back for him and have a very serious talk with him." I leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "But what matters most is that you're safe."

Then, she did something very unexpected.

She kissed me.

* * *

><p><em>AN #2: First and foremost, I apologize to anyone who finds Alice's rant at Gilbert offensive. But yeah, I just felt like this part NEEDED to be told from Fancis' POV. Don't ask me why, 'cause I don't know. That was the spoiler I decided to not tell you last night. I was originally planning on posting this TOMORROW, but because Ichigo-the-Deathberry asked so nicely, I decided to put this up today :)_

_By the way, I have absolutely no clue where this story is going. I know literally just as much as you guys do right now. I haven't started chapter 14, so even I don't know what's gonna happen. Just so you know and don't ask me 'WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?1?,' because I seriously have no idea and that'll just get on my nerves. In short, just never ask me what's gonna happen, 'cause odds are, I don't know, either._

_Anyways, happy holidays, guys~! I love you~!_

_EDIT:OH MY FUCKING GOD. I JUST CHECKED MY TRAFFIC STATS, AND THIS STORY HAS EXACTLY 399 VISITORS. 1 BLOODY VISITOR AWAY FROM 400. THIS BOTHERS ME SO MUCH MORE THAN IT SHOULD. OK, rant over._


	14. Chapter 14

_BACK IN ALICE'S POV_

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

I wasn't thinking when I kissed Francis, I was only feeling.

I was relieved that he wasn't angry at me, glad that Gilbert got what was coming to him, and bloody ecstatic about the fact that Francis still cared and was acting completely normal.

So I kissed him.

I took his face in between my hands and brought it down to my own to kiss him.

Did I mention that I kissed him?

Anyway, I shut my eyes tight, so I couldn't _see _his reaction, but after a moment or two, he kissed me back, so it couldn't have been that bad.

It was over quickly, though.

Francis pulled away first and took his hand from the back of my head (I didn't know when _that_ had happened, but not the point) and used his forefinger to tap my lips.

"It's late, mon cher," he reminded me. "I need to get you back before someone sees us out after curfew."

And as much as I hated to admit it, even now that we were dating, he was right. It was almost midnight at that point, and while I normally wouldn't mind spending more time with Francis, I was exhausted and knew Emily would keep me up for another hour hounding me for details.

So Francis took me home and kissed me in front of the door for the second time that night.

...

Well, I had been half-right.

Emily kept me up for _two_ hours, (over)analyzing every little thing that had happened.

Her conclusion: "Gilbert totally wants to get in your pants and Francis must have an insecurity problem or some shit like that, and felt threatened. So he charged and was about to beat him up when you started crying. He wanted you to stay with him, so that Gilbert couldn't have you, and stopped himself. Then he held you and all that shit. Gil pretended to be innocent so that Francis wouldn't kill him. You show Francis the text, he comforts you, blah, blah, blah. Personally, I think the whole, 'I'm not in this for sex,' thing is total bull. He acts all nice and caring and stuff so he still has a chance to get in your pants. Oh my God! Dude! That totally rhymed! Anyway, you kiss him, he takes you home again to seem gentlemanly 'cause he knows you like that, and kissed you again to make sure you know you're his 'property,'" she inferred, putting the air quotes on "property."

Frankly, I thought her take on it was, in her own terms, "total bull." I knew Francis liked me, Gilbert didn't, and that Francis didn't have an insecurity problem. But I just wanted to go to sleep, so I didn't bother arguing with her.

...

The next morning, I was awakened by the sound of my phone vibrating on my night table.

It was six in the morning, meaning I had gotten roughly four hours of sleep.

_Someone_ would have hell to pay.

And that someone happened to be my brother.

**'My room. NOW.'**

Well, this couldn't be good.

* * *

><p><em>AN: She wasn't 'just feeling' when she kissed Francis; Gilbert drugged her .'_

_For those of you who can't tell, I was JOKING just then. No need to get your knickers in a bunch._

_Also: THE INNER MECHANISMS OF EM'S MIND ARE AN ENIGMA!_

_10 points to whomever can guess what I just paraphrased ;)_

_And lastly: CHARACTER PROFILES! Check 'em out! Nothing NECESSARY for the story (I think) but it can' t hurt, right?_

_EDIT:Sorry I had to remove this chapter! I realized I had forgotten a part when I was typing it and it would be easier in the long run to just remove the chapter before too many people had a chance to read it, then add the part and post it again. Sorry! .'_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

And it wasn't.

Naturally.

"What the hell, Alice? I tell you to be careful, and what do you do? You run off in the middle of the night because of a text and nearly get yourself raped! It's a damn good thing Francis came when he did! What the _fuck_ were you thinking? I was bloody worried about you!"

I was just standing there in the middle of Alfred and Arthur's room, wordlessly receiving my brother's angry rant.

Suddenly, though, he stopped and walked over to me. I thought he was going to scold me some more, but he wrapped his arms around me in a hug.

That _he_ initiated.

"Don't _ever_ do that again. Do you hear me? _Ever_," he whispered into my ear. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

We stood like that, his arms around me while I stood there speechless, for a minute or two until he pulled away (an action that didn't surprise me).

"Well," he started, looking at his watch. "I had better get going. I told Alfred I would meet him in the weight room before breakfast. And knowing you, you snuck out without telling Emily where you were going, so you should get back before she wakes up and assumes you're with Francis."

I wasn't going to let him get away so easily, though. As he was shoving me out of his room, I asked him, "How did you even know about what happened last night?"

He seemed taken aback, almost as if he hadn't expected me to ask, which was fairly dumb of him.

Nevertheless, he leaned against the doorway and told me.

"At about one this morning, I heard Francis yelling at someone in the hall, and I heard him say your name. So naturally, I went to see what had happened, and he told me. Simple as that," he assured me, but the fact that he was wringing his hands told me that he was hiding something.

Like why he was awake at one in the morning.

In any case, he was right about needing to get back before Emily got up, so I didn't have time to interrogate him further.

...

Of course, I didn't get back before Em got up.

Naturally.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I love Arthur. 3_

_Anyway, big surprise in the next chapter! Unless it isnt much of a surprise because I accidentally gave it away in this chapter... Which I really hope I didn't 'cause that would mean that what happens in the next chapter won't be a surprise, and I really want it to be a surprise. It's such a big surprise (hopefully) that I'm not gonna post it tonight, 'cause I'm a bitch like that ;P_


	16. Chapter 16 Alfred's POV

_ALFRED'S POINT OF VIEW_

* * *

><p>Chapter 16<p>

I finished doing my first set of 50 sit-ups (one for each American state!) and checked my phone again to see a text from Artie:

'**Sorry I'm running a tad late. Had to talk to Alice about something. Be there in a few.'**

I almost texted him back saying that I would be waiting for him (which I would be, but he didn't need to know that), but decided that would seem needy and desperate.

And those were the last things I wanted to seem.

Especially after last night.

It was amazing that for ten years, I had been looking for a _girl_ that could kiss as well as Allie, but never thought that the only person who could truly make my heart flutter was her _brother_.

I had never really been into girls, anyway.

Well, except for Allie, but she was more of a sister than anything else.

Besides, she had Francis now.

Anyway, dating girls and trying to find one that could measure up to Allie was more about figuring out for sure whether or not I was gay.

And last night was all the proof I needed.

See, Arthur had told me when we first moved in together that he was gay. I never really thought about it until I thought _I_ might be gay.

So I asked him if he would mind helping me find out for sure, and he agreed, as long as no one knew.

I was the only one who knew he was gay; not even _Alice_ knew. And I didn't wanna have to deal with the shit that could come with being openly gay, so it didn't take much negotiation.

And with the business part done, we started with the fun.

We started making out on the bed, then somehow moved to Arthur's desk, where I was sitting in the chair with him straddling me.

Unfortunately, Artie heard something and went to see what it was.

When he came back a few minutes later, he wouldn't tell me what had happened, but just said that he wasn't in the mood anymore and that it was late.

When I protested, he said that he wanted to go to sleep, but before I let him, I made him promise to meet me at the weight room before breakfast.

And that was why I was waiting (heehee) for him.

Because when he wasn't with me, I realized, it was like he had taken a piece of me with him.

Wow, that was corny.

Oh well.

In any case, Arthur was walking into the weight room and my heart started pounding.

I never thought it would happen, but...

I was in love.

With Arthur.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This is all the yaoi you get for now._

_Oh my God, I REALLY hope this was a surprise! I knew I wanted USUK in here somewhere, and I finally decided on Alfred and Arthur._

_Anyways, I'm pretty proud of how this chapter turned out considering I was up until midnight writing it with NO MUSIC (this is amazing because I ALWAYS need music to write)_

_Aaaaannnnddd yeah. Felt like this needed to be done. I'm gonna tell the story from at least one more POV, but none of you get to know whose~!_

_Chapter 17 is alost done and will probably be up tomorrow._


	17. Chapter 17

_BACK IN ALICE'S POV_

* * *

><p>Chapter 17<p>

"Where have you been? You were with Francis, weren't you? What happened? What did he say? What did he do? Don't leave _anything_ out!"

All that happened within thirty seconds of me walking in.

"I was with Arthur," I answered. "Apparently he found out about last night and wanted to yell at me about it."

Emily obviously wasn't impressed with my explanation and demanded proof, so I showed her Arthur's text from earlier to shut her up.

I had then _wanted_ to go back to sleep, but there was a knock at the door, so Em went to answer it while I went to feed Captain Glub!.

...Poor fish...

"Oh, Alice~" she called, and I knew that could only mean one thing:

Francis.

I rushed to the bathroom to make sure I looked alright before going to greet him.

I looked like shit.

Oh well.

I went to meet him, and he immediately took my hand and kissed it.

"Good morning, mon cher," he purred, and my heart fluttered.

"Um, g-good morning," I managed to stutter. "W-what brings you here?"

I noticed that he hadn't let go of my hand as he replied.

"I wanted to take you out for breakfast as an apology for last night."

...

So that's how we ended up going to a cozy diner not too far from campus.

When we got to our table and sat down, Francis immediately started talking.

"Alice, about last night, I want to apologize. If-"

I didn't let him finish his apology, though.

"Francis, there is absolutely no need for you to apologize. I should have known it wasn't you in the first place."

But he wasn't about to be stopped.

"If I had kept my cell phone with me, then none of it would have happened." I was about to interrupt again, but he continued with a tone of finality. "That being said, in order to prevent something like this from happening again, I think it would be best if we..."

No.

He was _not_ breaking up with me.

"...Establish a code word for when we're texting each other. We wouldn't tell anyone else the word, to make sure we always know it really is the other. What do you think?"

Oh.

He wasn't breaking up with me.

"Well, it's much better than what I thought you were going to suggest," I joked. "What word did you have in mind?"

He looked a bit confused at the first part of my statement, but quickly recovered.

"I hadn't had any ideas, actually. I had been hoping that we could think of something together. And it doesn't have to be a word- it could be a phrase or an acronym, but preferably something random that couldn't be used accidentally by someone else."

"FBMD," I blurted out automatically. Em, Maddie, and Al had named the plan 'Francis Bonnefoy Must Die' after the movie they based it on, and they called it 'FBMD' for short. I had never been keen on the plan, especially not since Francis had saved me the previous night, but that was the first thing that popped into my head, especially since I was sitting with 'John' himself.

"Alright," Francis agreed. "But what does it stand for?"

Blast! I should have known he would ask!

"Fat... Butlers... Make Donuts," I covered.

He seemed to accept this and nodded his approval.

"Quite random, indeed," he agreed. "Well! Shall we continue our breakfast, now that that's dealt with?"

...

When I got back (again), Emily pounced on me for details the moment I walked in, but that was to be expected.

What wasn't to be expected (by her, anyway) was what I told her instead of the answers she craved:

"I'm not doing this anymore. Nothing you can say or do will change my mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go tell Madeline and Alfred."

And with that, I walked out again.

* * *

><p><em>AN: You all thought Francis was gonna break up with her, didn't you? XD Not today, guys, not today._

_I'm amazed (and a tad scared) at how quickly I thought of Fat Butlers Make Donuts. I guess that's what happens when I'm sleep deprived and writing (well, that and ATCs)_

_And yes, they **do** have a fish. Yes, his name **is **Captain Glub!. With an exclamation point. Poor fish..._

_Anyway, now to the news!_

_First, this is gonna be my last update for 2011, so happy new years, guys! I hope you have a happy and healthy 2012! Well, until the apocolypse, but that's not until December._

_I have a research paper for my US History class that I **REALLY** need to get my arse going on, because the intro is due on January 5th, and I haven't even started, so that really sucks, 'cause I'm not gonna have much time for writing anymore._

_And lastly, since nobody really seems to be reading the character profiles, I was thinking I was just gonna delete them. What do you guys think?_

_Well, in any case, I'll see you all in 2012~! I love you all~!_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I was about to knock on Alfred's door when I heard a low moan coming from inside. That, combined with the fact that the door was cracked open, led me to believe that something was terribly wrong.

So I stuck my head inside, but no chainsaw-wielding murderers jumped out at me (I really needed to stop watching slasher movies with Emily). I walked further into the room and heard another moan that sounded faintly like Arthur. Upon poking my head around the corner of the doorway, I saw it:

My brother.

Straddling Alfred.

And Alfred was kissing his neck.

And Arthur was moaning.

"Nnng... Alfred, not so hard," he chided softly, gently pushing Al away, letting me see how pink their cheeks were. "No one can know, remember?"

I couldn't stick around to watch any more.

So I crept out and, in my confusion, ran down the hall to Francis' room.

He would help me understand what I had just seen, I decided as I knocked on his door.

'_No one can know, remember?'_

Arthur's words echoed in my mind, and I knew that since even _I_ couldn't know, Francis couldn't, either.

But I had already knocked, so unfortunately, I would have to think of a cover.

I was doing a lot of covering lately, I realized with a bit of a start.

Just as I was thinking that, the door opened, revealing...

Gilbert.

"Alice," he remarked oh-so-intelligently as he took a step back in shock. "Wasn't expecting to see you here. Then again, I really shouldn't be that surprised. Francis isn't here, but since _you_ are, I wanna talk to you." He leaned against the doorway and waited for a signal to continue. I nodded and he moved on. "I wanna apologize for last night. You might not know this, but Francis really gave me an earful when we were coming back. It didn't register what that must have looked like until he started yelling at me. It wasn't like that, though, I swear. Like I said, you're not much to look at, so I wasn't talking about your body. I was actually talking about your _friends_. Y'see, I kinda like your friend Madeline and was kinda hoping you could talk me up to her," he explained as his pet bird, Gilbird, flew onto his head. "Whaddya say?"

"Well, you _could_ have just texted me instead of luring me out in the middle of the night, thereby _avoiding_ the..._events_ of last night. Why didn't you just do that?"

"Well, he started, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, narrowly missing hitting Gilbird, as he began to blush lightly. "I was kinda scared you would go tell Madeline and Emily and you would all start laughing at me."

"How do you know that's not what I'm going to do when I leave?" I teased, but the terrified look he gave me was enough to get the truth out of me. "Relax, I was _joking_. I'll do it," I assured him.

Well, it looked like I had a new mission.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, I said I would have a new chapter up by the end of this week. Finished this last night and just typed it up. I LOVE PruCan, so it was only a matter of time until I added them in here, and I figured this was as good a time as any._

_You know, I was reading through this the other day, and I realized that the entire fic so far takes place over five days. **FIVE. BLOODY. DAYS.** I checked the math probably six times, but it always came out to five. I couldn't believe it and I FRICKIN' WROTE IT._

_Anyway, I (finally) borrowed John Tucker Must Die from my town's library, so I can (finally) refresh myself on what happened, and I'll probably be doing that tomorrow, so between that, school, homework, and set construction AFTER school, the next chapter might not be up for probably about a week. Ok, my fingers are about to freeze solid, so Imma go warm them up. Ta~_


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Madeline had seemed fairly understanding when I told her I was giving up the plan, but I guess she wanted revenge as much as Emily, because when I came back, they were standing side by side with their arms crossed. I considered telling Madeline about Gilbert's crush on her right then, but since she and Emily still thought he had been trying to rape me, I figured I should start with that.

"I saw Gilbert," I told them with what I hoped to be nonchalance, but probably sounded like a bad attempt to get them off-topic (which it technically was, but that wasn't the point).

Luckily, this seemed to soften them a bit.

"What happened?" Maddie asked, her voice laden with concern.

"Well, it turns out that last night was just a misunderstanding." Emily raised her eyebrows skeptically, and Madeline was beginning to look a tad confused, so I continued. "It turns out that he isn't into me, like you said, Emily. He likes Maddie," I finished with a bit of a grin.

Maddie, as I should have expected, started blushing madly at this. She wasn't used to guys (or people in general) noticing her, let alone having a crush on her. She clutched her pet polar bear, Kumarie, tighter in her arms and looked down with a sudden interest in the carpet.

Emily was obviously still skeptical, though. "Can you prove it?" She challenged, and I realized that I couldn't.

But even so, she couldn't _disprove_ it.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" I asked honestly. "Besides, Madeline, you like Gil, right?"

She blushed even harder when her long-time crush was acknowledged, essentially answering my question.

"Um, well, y-yes, but..." She whispered, looking at the carpet more intently. She had essentially given up on him because of her sense of loyalty when she had heard about what had happened the previous night, and was visibly relieved that she could like him without feeling like she was betraying her friends. And this was, quite obviously, bloody amazing.

"But what?" I asked her, ecstatic about the fact that the guy she had liked for years finally liked her back, but she just shrugged shyly. "You should ask him out!"

She looked absolutely terrified at the simple suggestion, trying to stutter an argument or excuse. To be honest, I couldn't tell because of how quickly she was trying to speak and the rapid French she was trying to think out loud in.

So while she was doing that, I took out my phone and sent a quick text. "Fine. I'll tell _Gilbert_ to ask you out."

"**Get your arse over here and ask Madeline out."**

Almost immediately, I got a response.

"**Thnx, Alice! I o u one!"**

Madeline was still stammering, and by that point, I wasn't sure whether to smirk or be worried that she would faint or something of the like.

...

As it turned out, though, I didn't need to worry. Gilbert showed up and asked Maddie out (rather awkwardly, if I may say so), and she barely stammered in her answer.

So they worked out a date for next week, and Gilbert left looking happier than he had in a while. I turned to Maddie, and her grin was enough to tell me I made the right choice in playing matchmaker like I had.

Speaking of right choices...

My phone was ringing.

And yes, it _was_ Francis.

* * *

><p><em>AN: No, Karin Shinigami, you are not being punked ;)_

_Remember how in the last chapter, I said this would be up in about a week? Yeah... Sorry about that. Anyway, I apologize for this chapter as a whole. For its: A. lateness. B. shortness (but you would not BELIEVE how much I lengthened it while I was typing it up!) C. lack of FrUK-ness. and D. PruCan-ness. I realize the main ship is FrUK, and chapter 20 (which is almost done!) is FrUK again, but I wanted to add some more PruCan in here._

_But yeah, updates are gonna be slow for a while because of end-of-marking-period madness/midterms/US History research paper/set construction until almost 6 every night/regular school and homework. So until some of this does down, updates are probably gonna be once a week at best. I just hope you guys understand and don't form a mob to try to find my house to attempt to make me write at 3 AM. Because that would be hard to explain to my parents :)_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I was about to beg Emily for help figuring out what to say when I remembered that she still wanted me to be a part of FBMD.

"Hello, Alice," Francis crooned when I picked up. "Would you still be interested in coming with me to the school carnival tomorrow?"

Oh, _shit_. I had completely forgotten about that, and it wasn't like I would have Emily coach me through what to say. But nothing, I decided, would stop me from going on a date with Francis.

...

So the next night, I was standing in front of the mirror fixing my hair and makeup while Emily watched me. Francis would be picking me up in a few minutes, so I didn't have much time for the dramatics I knew she would pull.

Really, she was so predictable.

Right on cue, she sat up and complained to me, "I can't believe you're _actually_ choosing _him_ over me, Maddie, and Al."

I just shrugged and went back to doing my eyeliner. "Francis has proven himself a gentleman, you know I was never keen on the plan, and revenge is never the answer, anyway."

Just as she was opening her mouth to argue, there was a knock on the door, and even Emily wouldn't talk "smack," as she says, about someone right in front of them, so she was forced to shut the hell up as I left.

...

When Francis pulled up to the field the carnival was being held, he turned to me and said, "You look lovely tonight, Alice."

I was glad it was already dark out, because I could feel my face turning a bright shade of red not unlike a tomato. But apparently Francis still saw it, because he reached over and stroked my cheek.

"Ah, you're so cute when you're flustered, mon cher."

By that point, I was really wishing that Emily had given me advice on what to say in this type of situation. Because the first thing that popped into my head was, "Um, th-thank you."

And of course, that's what I said.

Because I'm an idiot like that.

It didn't seem to matter, though, because Francis began chuckling and put his arm around my shoulders as he led me into the fair.

And so began one of the best nights of my life.

...

The entire time Francis was driving me back, I kept replaying the night in my head.

Especially the Ferris Wheel.

...

I'll admit, I'm terrified of heights, so I was hesitant at first, but Francis assured me that there was nothing to be afraid of and coaxed me onto the ride.

As we got on, though, he must have caught on to the fact that I was still scared, because he put his arm around me and didn't let me go until the end. And even though every time the ride jerked, I would let out something like a squeak, he would never get annoyed. He would just tighten his grip reassuringly and occasionally nuzzle my hair or whisper, "Shhh... I'm here, mon cher. Nothing's going to happen to you while I'm around," into my ear.

When we got close to the top, he moved closer. "Ah, you know," he told me, "it's common for couples to kiss at the top of a Ferris Wheel."

As a matter of fact, I _did_ know that, and that was part of the reason I had been nervous. Not necessarily because of the kiss. We had obviously kissed before. It was more the fact that he had just officially labeled us a couple.

In any case, I gave a small shaky nod, my face redder than ever.

When we did get to the top, he turned to me and leaned in just like in all the romance movies that I definitely _haven't _watched.

I had been expecting an almost rough kiss, but this one was soft and slow, like he wanted to make it last.

But it couldn't last, as I remembered when he ended it as we began descending again. I hadn't thought my face could have gotten any redder, but that could have explained why my feet had been so numb.

...

Francis' car stopped in front of my dorm building, and I was forced from my pleasant memory.

He walked me up to the door as usually, but as I was about to say goodnight, he stopped me.

"Alice, there's something very important I'd like to tell you, and I can't think of a better time than right now," he started. Naturally, I was curious, so I quickly nodded for him to continue. He took a deep breath, leaned down so we were face-to-face, and took my hands in his own before speaking again. "Alice, mon cher, I love you."

I didn't respond at first, so he straightened up and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he turned his head away. Even so, I could still see his heavy blush.

"Um, I... I should probably get back," he said finally, seeming nervous for the first time in all the years I had known him.

"Alright. Goodnight, then," I said, regaining control of my voice, and placed a quick peck on his cheek as I stepped inside and watched him go.

I closed the door and froze as his words finally registered.

Francis Bonnefoy, the Frog, was in love.

With _me_.

* * *

><p><em>AN: You want an update? Here! Have a bunch of time-lapses instead~! Alice seems like a total bitch in the beginning of this chapter, so I just wanna apologize for that._

_But look! Only FrUK! :D__ G'night, amazing people of the internet! I love you all!_


	21. Chapter 21 Gilbert's POV

_GIL'S POV_

* * *

><p>The Awesome Me was just lying on my awesome bed watching an awesome movie with the Awesome Gilbird when Francis walked in. He flopped down on his less-awesome bed and sighed.<p>

"Well," I said awesomely. "_You're _back early. Did it go awesomely? Did'ja get in her pants?"

He snapped his head to look at me so fast it was awesome. "W-what?" He screeched, totally un-awesomely. But it was more awesome than the mumbling that came next. "Non, it's... It's not like that with Alice..."

I awesomely shifted my awesome position so that I was awesomely sitting and facing him. Well, _this_ was new. I mean, he was _blushing_. And _holding a fucking pillow to his chest like some girl_. This was _so_ not awesome. But I was seriously curious (which wasn't awesome), so I felt the need to regain some of my awesomeness by awesomely asking, "Oh, really? So what _did_ happen?"

"Well," he started more awesomely than before, finally taking the pillow from his chest to regain a small part of his awesomeness (he obviously still wasn't as awesome as me, though). "I... I told her that... that I love her."

I leaped up awesomely and went over to him. "Don't you know you're not supposed to tell a girl you love her unless she's insanely awesome?" The facepalm I did then totally unawesome, but it was necessary. "Ugh, this is _not_ awesome, Francis. What did she say?"

His face very unawesomely got redder as he answered my awesome question. "She... didn't say anything, actually. She only responded when I said goodnight."

This definitely _wasn't_ awesome. My awesome best friend was having his heart broken by some unawesome bitch. And then he did something unawesome by interrupting my awesome thoughts.

"She _did_ kiss me goodnight, though."

Well, at least she _liked_ my awesome friend. I awesomely put the Awesome Gilbird on my awesome head as I told him so.

Just as I was about to awesomely tell him something else, his phone started to ring.

"Oui?" Considering the time of night, it could only be the awesome Antonio or the unawesome Alice. I awesomely crept over and put my awesome ear to his phone.

It was Alice.

Awesome.

_Not._

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Francis finished, and I knew this wouldn't be awesome. "I'm meeting Alice," he explained. "I'll be back later."

And with that, he grabbed his coat to meet his unawesome girlfriend as I got an awesome idea.

The Awesome Me would awesomely follow them.

* * *

><p><em>A(wesome)N: Well, this won't end awesomely. I know most of you expected, should I tell what happens with Francis first, Francis' point of view, but I'll write his again later. Anyway, do you guys think I used the word 'awesome' too much? I tend to go overboard with 'awesome's when I'm writing from Gil's POV and 'like's when I'm writing from Felik's._


	22. Chapter 22

_Back in Alice's POV_

* * *

><p>Well, that was done. I would be meeting Francis- and this time I <em>knew<em> it would be Francis- outside the library. The library wasn't particularly close to either dorm, so I would have time to consider something very, _very_ important:

How I would tell him that I love him, too.

Let's face it, I was crazy for Francis. He was funny, sweet, smart, gentlemanly, interesting, and not to mention good-looking... There was nothing about him I _couldn't _love. So, since I had completely botched telling him earlier, I would tell him at the library.

The only problem was that I didn't know how.

Well, that was why I chose the library.

...

Arriving at the library a little while later, I saw Francis facing away from the direction I was coming from. I started jogging up to him, and when he heard my footsteps, he turned and smiled like he hadn't seen me in ages.

He looked like he was about to kiss me, but must have remembered what I had said (or, rather, _not_ said) earlier, because he suddenly stopped and cleared his throat.

"Yes, Alice?" He asked, taking my hand instead. "On the phone, you sounded worried. Is everything alright?"

Alright, I hadn't meant to sound worried on the phone, but his concern was touching (and bloody cute, at that).

But this was the perfect chance.

"Ah, no, not necessarily," I told him, and he raised an eyebrow in questioning. "It's just, um, you... you caught me off-guard earlier, so I just wanted to explain that and tell you that..." I could feel my face going red and my voice shrunk so that I could barely hear myself, but I still stuttered out the words: "I love you, too."

Francis' face lit up and it looked like he was just about to kiss me when we heard a sound coming from the bushes. He stepped in front of me protectively as the creature emerged, and I gasped at what we were seeing.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Happy Valentine's Day, guys! Or if you're single like I am, happy Singles' Awareness Day~ Figured I'd update this extra-fluffy chapter in honour of the holiday._

_And a word about that: I've decided that I'm going to have a contest. Every few chapters, I'll say "_ points to whomever _." The person with the most points by the end of the fic gets a one-shot. Anything they want, within reason. Sound good? The one for chapter 21 is still going since nobody's guessed the correct number of "Awesome"s yet. I'll announce it when somebody gets it._

_Well, that's it for the contest. Any questions, put it in a review or a PM. Seeya next time I update this, guys!_

_EDIT: The answer to the question is NOT a person/country... Or Sealand_


	23. Chapter 23 Emily's POV

_Emily's POV_

* * *

><p>When Alice left, I headed over to Maddie's room for an emergency FBMD meeting.<p>

"We've got a problem," I said as I closed her door behind me.

She looked up from her book. "Who is it?"

"Maddie," I groaned. "_Not_ the time."

Putting the book down, she finally decided to take me seriously.

"Alright, I'll bit. What is it?"

OK, so she wasn't taking me _completely _seriously. But still, this was a start.

"Alice," I started, and that was all I had to say to get her full attention, "is on her way to tell Francis _she loves him_. Apparently he told her he loves her earlier and she didn't say anything, so she wants to make it all dramatic and movie-ish. We need a plan," I concluded.

Maddie took out her laptop and started to make a list like any good Carrie would.

"It's too late to try to intercept them," she observed, knocking out my killer plan before I had a chance to suggest it. "We could try to get her back... into... Em, I have an idea! We get Francis to cheat on Alice, we have her see, and then she completely crushes him!" She said a _bit_ too enthusiastically, waking up Kumarie next to her.

"Nnng... Who woke me up?" The little polar bear asked. "And who are you?"

Maddie groaned. Kumarie could never remember her owner's name, and it normally killed Maddie, but today she was quick to bounce back.

"But how do we get him to cheat on her? And if she sees that, she'll be heartbroken," I protested.

"Just leave all that to me," she told me. "Now, who should we ask? What about Anya?" She suggested, but I shot her down.

"Francis would never date a psychopath."

"Hmm, true," she admitted as she typed a quick note. "How about Chun-Yan?"

"Yeah, she's cute, but she isn't really Francis' type."

"_Alice_ isn't Francis' type," she countered.

"Fair enough. Keep her in mind," I dictated, and as she wrote something down, I had the perfect idea. "Mads, I've got it." I let her stare at me for a few seconds to build suspense. "Felicia Vargas."

She seemed to consider for a minute before nodding and agreeing, "Perfect."

Well, we had our plan.

* * *

><p><em>AN: OK, so the correct number of "Awesome"s in chapter 21 was 46, so chattie98 and awesomemaria.b get 10 points each, and that contest is officially closed._

_Speaking of contests... I recently got myself involved in a write-off. It's on deviantART, so anyone with a deviantART/anyone who knows people with one, please vote and spread the word!_

_Original:.com/art/My-Immortal-Chapter-1-Original-286564928_

_My Rewrite: .com/art/My-Immortal-Chapter-1-Rewrite-286565313_

_I really hope you guys vote, but if you don't, I totally get it._

_Chapter 24 will be up in a little bit, so I'm gonna end the "Who's in the bushes?" contest, too._


	24. Chapter 24

_Alice's POV_

* * *

><p>"Flying Mint Bunny! What are you doing here?" I asked as I pushed past Francis to pet the green rabbit floating in front of me, ignoring my boyfriend's look of confusion.<p>

"I wanted to stalk you, Alice, so I flew right over," he chirped back.

Of course. "My brother put you up to this, didn't he?"

"Umm... What brother?"

Playing dumb. Not hard for Flying Mint Bunny and his family, but this was painfully obvious.

I couldn't help but groan and put my face in my hand. I felt Francis come up behind me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Alice...? Are you tired? It was just the wind, mon cher... I should probably take you back," he said softly, taking my arm.

Just as we were about to leave, though, we heard another rustling in the bushes, but Francis pulled me back before I could look, saying, "It's just the wind again."

"There _is _no bloody wind," I snapped.

As if to prove my point, Gilbert popped out of the bushes.

"The Awesome Me is awesomely following you guys!" He announced to the world.

Naturally.

This time it was Francis' turn to groan.

"Go home, Gilbert. This is none of your business."

I unlaced my arm from Francis', getting his immediate attention.

"I can get back to the dorm on my own. You don't have to walk me," I assured him as I stood on my toes to kiss his cheek and watch him blush. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And as I left him there touching his cheek where I had kissed it, I couldn't help but wonder if I had done the right thing.

...

I awoke the next morning to find Emily, Maddie, Alfred, and Arthur all leaning over me.

Well, _this_ couldn't be good.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I told you it would be up soon. Since Gilbert **was** hiding in the bushes, I've decided to give everyone who guessed Gil 5 points. so that means that XxanimeobsessionxX, chattie98, and haluto5 got 5 points each. No contest this time, 'cause I have no idea what's going to happen._


	25. Chapter 25

"So, Alice," Arthur started. "Did you have fun last night?"

Oh _shit_. Flying Mint Bunny. This _definitely _couldn't be good.

"It was fine," I told him as calmly as I could as I got up. "Why do you ask?"

"A little birdie told me about a confession from a certain Frog... And a confession _to_ a certain Frog."

I froze. So Flying Mint Bunny _had_ seen everything.

"You mean a little _bunny_ told you," I corrected him as I shot him a glare, earning a chorus of "Oooh"s from the others in the room.

Mostly Alfred and Emily.

Naturally.

His face started to turn pink as he sputtered, "H-how did you know?"

"He didn't exactly hide it very well when I found him. In fact, I believe his exact words were, 'I wanted to stalk you, Alice, so I flew right over,'" I quoted in my best Flying Mint Bunny impression.

Alfred let out a laugh. "_Real_ smart rabbit you've got there, Artie!"

Arthur just shot him a glare that I'm honestly surprised didn't kill him. Really, if looks could kill, poor, idiotic Alfred would be dead five times over.

"As if Tony could have done better," he scoffed.

"Hey! Tony wouldn't have spilled the beans!"

"Well of course not! All that bloody alien of yours can say is 'Fucking!'"

"Tony is my best friend, man!"

Just as a full-fledged fight was about to start, I heard Emily chanting, "Yeah! Go Artie! Beat his face in!"

... Isn't sibling rivalry lovely?

Based on what I had seen happening in their room the other day, though, I hardly believed that my brother would beat Alfred up, or the other way around, but it still couldn't hurt to be on the safe side and break this up.

"OK, boys, let's just agree that Tony and Flying Mint Bunny both would make terrible spies." This seemed to (momentarily) shut them up, so I ushered them out and grabbed some clothes. "I knew I should've strangled the little bugger when I had the chance," I muttered once they were gone. "Hey, do you girls wanna do something today?" I didn't have any plans with Francis, and I felt like I had been neglecting them. Not that they couldn't function without me, it was just that I felt like I was growing apart from my two best friends because of a guy that I probably wouldn't even remember in five years.

"Sorry, Allie. We've already got plans," Emily answered with a smile that I knew by now meant that she was planning something.

And it usually wasn't good.

* * *

><p><em>AN: GAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Hi. Remember me? Yeah, sorry this took so long. It's just... stuff happened... Yeah, not a very good explanation. I just had a lot going on and had some trouble with this chapter. Which brings me to a question: would you guys prefer longer chapters more spaced apart, or shorter chapters closer together? As an apology for the lateness, you all get to see something I wrote for school! Yay~!_

_By the way, my friend Cara (who is the Canada in my group of friends) says hi and made some sort of noise that sounded vaguely like "Nark" on our way to Phys. Ed. that I assume she wanted in this message. So yeah. Cara says "Hi" and "Nark."_


	26. Chapter 26 Franics,Feliciana,Alice

_Franics' POV_

* * *

><p>The day after the school carnival, I sat on my bed trying to do homework, but my mind was plagued by constant thoughts of Alice: her soft golden hair that cascaded down her back; her creamy skin that bloomed like a rose whenever I touched her; her emerald green eyes that put gems of the same name to shame; the way her face would always light up whenever she saw me, making me feel like the most important man in the world...<p>

"_And so I shall sit here consumed with lust for the rest of the evening,"_ I thought once my mind finally broke away.

Of course I loved Alice's body; that was inevitable no matter what anyone else said. But I loved the sparkling personality that nobody took the time to see just as much, if not more.

_Ring, ring! Ring, ring!_

I scrambled to my phone, thinking it would be Alice (obviously), but when I answered, a distinctly Italian accent greeted me.

"Ciao, Francis~" she chirped.

Felicia Vargas? Why would she call me like we were friends? The last time we had spoken, she had called me a fat-headed pig and told me to die in a hole.

Still, it never hurt to be polite.

"Bonjour, Feli-"

"Forget the formalities, Francis," she interrupted, sounding more aggressive than I had ever heard her. "I know what you want, and I know Alice isn't giving it to you. I thought maybe we could... work something out...?"

* * *

><p><em>Felicia's POV<em>

* * *

><p>Emily held up the cards I was supposed to read to Francis one-by-one. When she and Madeline had showed up at my room earlier today and asked if I would help them bring Francis down, I was a little hesitant. Everyone had heard that he was dating their friend Alice, and it was more than a little odd that they would want to sabotage her relationship.<p>

But they were still trying to bring down Francis Bonnefoy.

After what happened to Caterina, I was willing to almost anything to help them.

"Meet me at my room in ten minutes," I read and pressed the 'End' button when Emily motioned to hang up.

I really hoped this would work.

...

After Emily and Madeline gave me detailed instructions on what to do and left to finish the preparations, I spent about five minutes pacing around the room. I only had to kiss him, right? Then Alice would come in and see everything and crush him.

I could do this.

I checked the clock one last time and jumped when I heard a knock on the door.

I _really_ hoped this would work.

* * *

><p><em>Alice's POV<em>

* * *

><p>"Heyy, Allie," Emily called shortly after she got back. "I left my cell al Felicia's. You mind getting it for me?"<p>

To be honest, this didn't really surprise me. Emily would probably forget her own head if it wasn't attached to her shoulders. At this point, I was used to retrieving her forgotten belongings, so I sighed and got up to go across the hall.

As I left, I noticed that Felicia's door was wide open.

"_Emily probably forgot to close it," _I thought as I stepped inside.

The image I was greeted by was definitely one I could have gone without seeing: Felicia with her arms draped around Francis' shoulders, his arms circling her small frame as they kissed.

When they finally realized I was there, they mercifully stopped and turned toward me. Felicia had a smug grin while Francis just stared at me incredulously. I was vaguely aware of the tears rolling down my cheeks as he started toward me. "Mon cher-" he said softly, but was quickly yanked back by the arm by Felicia.

"I think it's safe to say you two are over."

* * *

><p><em>AN: JGHILRGGHZRUIGJ. THIS CHAPTER WAS SO ANNOYING TO WRITE GRAAAHHH! But I actually like how it turned out, so it all evens out, I guess. So yeah, three points of view. That's the main reason why I had so much trouble with this one. Oh well. This (probably) won't happen again, so I don't need to worry._

_Anyway, THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! And they've voted for longer chapters, so that's what's gonna happen. This means that I'll update probably every Friday or Saturday; more often if I don't have school. The chapters won't be MUCH longer, as I am incapable of writing long chapters, but they'll be longER._

_Last thing: 10 points to whoever can name all the languages in this message in order: 'bueno suerte,good luck,ganbatte kudasai,bonne chance, buona fortuna,pob lwc'._


	27. Chapter 27

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Francis broke away from her grip, but I was already turning to run toward the door.

"Alice!" He called after me. I was about to run back into my room, but I remembered that Emily was still there and that I would have to tell her what happened.

Knowing her, she'd probably be ecstatic about the whole thing. She'd think that I would want to rejoin FBMD and bring Francis down once and for all.

Which I did.

But I couldn't let her know that. Not yet. First, I needed to cry this out with someone. My first thought was Madeline, but she wanted me back in the plan, too.

Gilbert would probably listen, but he was Francis' best friend, and would be inclined to take his side.

Arthur would just tell me that the Frog wasn't to be trusted, and that he had warned me, and blahblahblah. Naturally, I didn't want to deal with that any more than Emily trying to coerce me back into the plan.

Alfred had never been as into it as the others, though. As much as he hated Francis, he had never been _completely_ for putting me out there for him. He would just be so much more understanding than Emily.

... I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if they had planned this, it was so perfect for them.

But I was one of their best friends. They wouldn't have any reason to hurt me like this, right?

Before I knew it, my feet were bringing toward the boys' dorm and up the stairs to Alfred and Arthur's room. As I knocked on their door, I couldn't help but silently hope that Arthur wouldn't be home, or at least that he wouldn't open the door.

"Hey, Allie!" Alfred yelled as he opened the door. "What's-"

But before I could let him finish his greeting, I clung to his waist and began to sob into his chest.

"Whoa, Allie, What's wrong?" He asked, and when I gave no answer other than more tears, he ushered me inside. "OK, Alice," he started, making me cringe, once we were sitting across from each other. "What happened? You obviously came here for a reason, and the fact that you're crying your eyes out isn't helping your case. So what is it?"

It was in that moment that I was glad that I had come to him. He was being so gentle that I couldn't help but smile a little at how good a friend he was being.

But he had asked about why I had come, so I recapped the entire thing, and by the time I was done, Al was sitting next to me with his arm over me protectively, his eyes having visibly darkened from rage.

"That _fucking _son of a _bitch_," He muttered as he started to get up.. "Come on, Alice. We're going to teach this motherfucker a lesson."

He started to leave, and it finally dawned on me what he was going to do.

Maybe this _hadn't _been such a good idea.

"Wait, Alfred! Don't hurt him!" I called after him before I could stop the words.

He turned to look back at me with fire in his eyes. "This bastard'll be lucky if I don't _kill _him. And once that's done, I think I'll have a nice little _chat_ with my sister."

"You... You don't think she had anything to do with it, do you?" I asked, remembering the same thought crossing my own mind. It was one thing to think it, but Alfred, Emily's _brother_, saying it like it was a fact made the reality of it so much worse.

"Do you really need to ask that, Alice? Do you even want an _answer_?" He asked grimly, confirming my fears, as we walked down the hall, his hands balled into fists. He pounded on Francis' door, and when Gilbert answered instead, he grabbed the albino by the shirt and growled, "Where is that son of a bitch?"

Gilbert, completely unswayed, said, "The Awesome Me is right here, Al! Kesesesese!"

Alfred's eyes grew even angrier, and his grip tightened to the point where his knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"You _know_ who I _mean_. Now WHERE IS HE?"

I admit, I was starting to get a little scared. I had never seen Alfred act like this, and I didn't know how I was supposed to handle him when he was in this state.

"Geez, cool it, man! He ran off a while ago, n and I haven't seen him since. I thought he was with Alice, but I guess _she_ was with someone else, kesesesese!"

The next thing I knew, Gilbert was on the floor, clutching his cheek, and Alfred was breathing heavily. He looked like he wasn't finished, but I grabbed his arm.

"Alfred. Stop," I said firmly. "Gilbert, is there anywhere we could find him?"

Gilbert, no longer cradling his injured cheek, looked up at us. "Have you checked the rooms of half the girls at the school?" He joked, but got serious again when Alfred tensed his fist again and took a step forward. "OK, OK! Check in that maple tree outside the library! You know, the one everyone's always climbing!"

Since I was feeling better, I was about to tell Alfred to just let me deal with it at this point, but before I could turn to him, he had run off down the hallway without a trace.

Lovely.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, I promised longer chapters! Again, they're not going to be long, just longER. And before you say that I'm a day late with this, I said every Friday OR SATURDAY. It's still Saturday where I live, so I'm good. chattie98 was the only one on FF (my friend Haley (who says she loves you all. As do I.) who was the reason for the contest, got the other 10 points), so she's in the lead with 25 points._

_Also, Cara says 'Hi" and that weird "Nark"-ish sound she makes again._


	28. Chapter 28

As soon as I realized Alfred was gone, I took off after him. It was hard to keep up with him, but after a few minutes, I finally managed to catch up enough to try to talk to him.

"Alfred," I panted, "let me do this! I can handle it!"

Alfred looked at me, and I gasped a bit at the renewed anger in his eyes, but it calmed slightly as he spoke. "...Fine," he agreed. "But _right after_ you're done there, come back to my room," he said as he slowed down. "And if he does anything, he won't be so lucky the next time I see him."

And on that happy note, he left, and I tore off toward the library, and hopefully Francis.

...

Once I had made the trek halfway across campus, I looked around frantically for the old maple Gil had been talking about.

It was hard to believe that even though Francis broke my heart and then stomped on the pieces, I was still looking for him to make amends.

'_I guess this is what it means to really love someone,' _I thought.

Upon finding the tree, I jogged over to it and looked up into the branches. When I didn't see anything, I gathered all my courage and began to climb.

Not easy in a skirt.

Especially one of the miniskirts Em got me.

About halfway up (I was surprised I was able to climb that high), I thought I saw something in one of the limbs above me, so I climbed a little higher until I could hear voices.

"...I think it worked," one voice said, and I immediately registered who it was: Felicia.

"So are you _sure_ she hates Francis now?" A second voice asked. Madeline. So she was a part of this, too?

"From what you've said, I don't think we'll have any problem getting her to help us out again!" Emily laughed.

I was frozen in the tree. My two best friends- no, they had stopped being my friends a long time ago, I realized- working to sabotage my relationship.

After eavesdropping on their gloating for a few more minutes, I found the will to climb back down the tree and remembered my promise to Alfred.

I thought I had cried myself out in his room, but I felt fresh tears stinging the backs of my eyes as I ran. I didn't stop or slow down until I reached the boys' dorm, even though my lungs were burning.

As I moved past one door after another, finally walking, I felt something soft and warm touch my wrist. I turned and found myself face-to-face with Francis.

"Alice," he whispered. His eyes were widened like he had never expected to see me again, much less respond to his touch. "Alice," he began again. "I want- no, I _need_ you to know that I had nothing to do with-"

I cut him off by wrapping my arms around his waist. "I know," I whispered into his chest. I buried my face a little deeper into his warmth, whispering, "I know," over and over until I was clutching his back as I sobbed the words into his chest.

His arms wound around my waist, but one soon moved to lift my chin and give me a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Why don't you come in?" He asked, opening the door to his room and gesturing inside, all without removing his arm from its perch.

'_But __**right after**__ you're done there, come back to my room,'_ Alfred repeated in my head.

I unwound myself and told Francis, "I just need to take care of one thing, first. It should only take a few minutes, I promise."

He looked a bit disappointed, but nonetheless nodded, and even as I walked down the hall, I could still feel his eyes on me.

...

Unfortunately, I wasn't as lucky as I had been the last time, as Arthur opened the door merely second after I knocked.

"What did I tell you, Alice?" He sighed as soon as he saw me, but his abnormally large eyebrows were furrowing themselves, his eyes searching me for signs of a potential breakdown.

I couldn't help but sigh, myself; I didn't have time for this.

"Alfred!" I called past my brother, whose sole purpose in life lately seemed to be getting in my way. "You were right! I heard Emily and Madeline talking about how they had planned it!"

Alfred emerged into the hallway and brushed past me, starting to head toward Francis' room.

"Well," he said as he turned back toward us, "aren't you two coming? It looks like we've got a lot to talk about with Francis about this thing."

And after Arthur and I shared a glance, we both realized he was, at least partially, right and started following him until I took the lead.

If this went the way I thought it would, this would get interesting.

* * *

><p><em>AN: ejghkfjgkd. Sorry this is late (even though it's technically late). Well, Em and Maddie are officially bitches. I think most of you know what's gonna happen... Probably. Dragonna, I'm sorry I (kinda) lied to you! I was initially planning to use that, but I thought of this and decided to run with it. In other news, SPRING BREAK! Which means that I'll have more time to write and will (hopefully) update at least twice this week~ But that might not happen because I promised a friend I would write something based on something she did (You know who you are) after I finished this chapter, plus there's PiBftH... But hopefully._

_Also, did anyone go to Castle Point Anime Convention? If you saw an America dancing to Bad Apple! with no partner, that was my friend. Unfortunately, I couldn't go and that was why she had no partner, but she will at the next con we go to ;) But more on that closer to the next con._

_Wow, this was a lond A/N. Sorry about that._


	29. Chapter 29

"Yo! Francis!" Alfred called as he pounded on the door. "Allie, Artie, and I gotta talk to you!"

After a few seconds of what I'm sure was hesitation due to how protective Al was of me, Francis finally opened the door, let a relieved smile play across his face once he saw me, and let us inside.

And, as Al seemed intent on doing all the talking (and thinking, for that matter), he started to explain the situation.

"So basically my little sister and Madeline turned into evil hag bitches and planned the entire thing that happened today to get revenge on you, and Felicia went along with it because she wanted revenge for her _sister_."

"_Mon Dieu,_" he muttered, "they're _still_ upset about that? I'll be the first to admit I was wrong, but this is going much too far!"

"It wasn't just for them," I mumbled. "They said it was for every girl you had dated and broken the heart of."

Arthur and Francis gaped at me; Alfred just looked at his hands, probably feeling the same guilt I was for ever being a part of this.

I thought one of them would ask what I meant, but they just nodded like they understood.

"I should have known this would happen eventually," Francis noted glumly as he put his face in his hands, so I moved over to put an arm around him, and when he nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck, we got an especially angry glare from my _oh-so-protective_ older brother.

"_Ahem_," Arthur cleared his throat to get out attention. "Is there anything else we should know, Alice?"

I looked between the three of them and sighed. A little white lie wouldn't hurt, would it?

"There was a whole big plot the two of them wanted me involved in, and they were using this to make me hate Francis and join them. I guess they were hoping I would pretend to forgive him so that I could crush him."

This little piece of information managed to get me three completely different looks from the three (completely different) guys in the room; Alfred was looking at me with a combination of relief and thanks, Francis probably couldn't have looked more surprised if I told him I was a purple unicorn named Bob, and Arthur...

Arthur looked like he wanted to break something.

"Alice," he growled through gritted teeth. "We _need _to do something about this."

"Hell yeah!" Alfred (naturally) agreed.

"As much as I dislike your brother, I have to agree with him, mon cher."

"Hey! I'm not doing this for you, Frog! I'm doing this for my baby sister!" Arthur interjected.

"Arthur," I argued as I rolled my eyes. "I am _not _your baby sister. Your _little_ sister, yes, but not your _baby_ sister. And anyway, isn't revenge what got us into this mess? Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Alice, I'm not asking you for much," Arthur pleaded as he moved to my other side. "Just... act like you'll work with them and put on a show when you're with them, but act however you wish, otherwise."

I looked at all three of them in turn again. This time, they were all giving me the same look: one filled with hope and imploring me to agree.

...

They looked like oversized puppies, really.

Unfortunately, I was a sucker for animals.

"Fine," I conceded after about a minute of trying to resist their silent begging. "I'll do it. What do you want me to tell them?"

Alfred just gave me a sly grin that looked disturbingly like Emily's as he assured me, "Just leave all that to us."

...

And that was how, 20 minutes later, I was shedding crocodile tears onto Madeline's shoulder while Emily paced in front of us, cursing Francis out and describing the things she would do to him if she ever got her hands on him.

"...and then I'm gonna take my fucking bat and shove it so far up that son of a bitch's ass they'll need to cut him open to get it out..."

I was too busy acting to listen to _Emily's _acting (although I'm sure she actually _would_ like to do those things to him), but from the bits I was able to pick up, it was actually pretty funny.

"...and once I've chopped his balls off-" Emily was threatening until Madeline cut her off.

"_Emily_. That's _enough_. If anyone, _Alice_ should be cursing Francis off," she whispered.

"Oh yeah," Emily realized as she stopped pacing. "Whaddya say, Allie? You feel up for some trash-talking, hun?" She asked, and they both looked at me expectantly.

I looked back up at them with what I hoped was fire in my eyes and nodded silently.

"Francis Bonnefoy _must die_."

And so, as Emily and Madeline exchanged grins, I became a double agent.

* * *

><p><em>AN: FINALLY! So you guys might not get a double update this week, but if you don't, you get an early update and then a double update next week. So you win either way._

_But yeah, this took forever to write because I kept getting distracted. Mostly by Homestuck and my new England cosplay costume~~~_

_Yep, next con I go to, I'm dressing as England. More details about that to come. My two mantras this week were "I should really be writing" and "I LOVE this jacket!" But mostly the former... Sorry ._

_But hey! Early update has to count for something!_

_Oh, and I was going through the reviews for this, and I have only one thing to say to you guys:_

_eghrliugaerhgkjsdhflg I LOVE YOU ALL! No, seriously! I friggin love you all! You are some of the most amazing people in the world, and your reviews mean SO MUCH to me! Seriously, every time I see one of them, I just start smiling, and I recently made a list of ones that made me burst out grinning, and it was FOUR FULL FUCKING PAGES. I LOVE YOU ALL SEKUGH,GHT. And that is why you deserve the extra update!_

_Now I'm going to end this before this Authors Note is longer than the actual chapter._

_But I still love you all!_


	30. Chapter 30

"So, first thing you need to do," Emily started, "is get back together with Francis. He didn't seem _too _upset by this, so we need to try again. Anyway, he's a sucker for a girl begging for more of him." She winked. "You can interpret that however you want."

Madeline handed me my phone. "Do you feel up to this?" She asked, and I almost thought she actually cared.

I just took it and nodded. They watched greedily as I dialed Francis' number and turned the speakers on.

"Hello, Francis," I said as soon as he picked up, not giving him a chance to speak and potentially ruin the plan. "I was thinking, and the way I reacted was childish. Do you think we could try again?" Oh _God_ that sounded rehearsed.

In any case, though, Emily gave me two thumbs up and mouthed a "perfect" while Madeline just smiled at me.

...

It was kind of funny how Madeline was the cause of our group's problems with Francis, yet she seemed like the least interested in the plan.

I'd have to ask her about it later.

"Of course, mon cher. If you'd like, you can come over right now," he purred, and I nearly shuddered.

He was playing his part almost _too _well.

I was about to answer and say that I could be over in a few minutes, but Emily began to shake her head so quickly I almost thought it would fall off (which I really wouldn't have minded) and scribbled on a piece of paper.

"_He likes mystery in his women," _it read. _"Don't make this too easy for him or he'll get bored again. Just be careful or he'll think you're bipolar or something."_

I looked at her like she had grown a second head and shrugged. She sighed and got out another piece of paper to start scribbling again.

"'_Maybe we should take things slow this time and use this opportunity to... reacquaint ourselves...?'"_

So, being the good little double-crosser I was, I read the line to Francis.

'_Oh God, I hope he doesn't think I'm actually suggesting this,' _I thought.

On the other end, Francis made a sort of choking noise, and after about a minute of pseudo-silence (we heard a few small crashes like books hitting the floor and the sound of water filling a glass in the background), he finally cleared his throat enough to croak, "O-Of course, if that is what you want."

In my own background, Emily and Madeline were suppressing giggles (I admit I was, too), and Emily had both hands clamped down on top of her mouth to keep the laughs contained.

Just as I was about to say something more, though, Emily made a gesture with her index finger and pinkie for me to hang up.

"Um, I have to go, but I'll text you later, I promise," I hurried and pressed the end button.

As soon as I did, Emily burst out into a fit of laughter like she had just heard the world's funniest joke while Madeline let out a stream of giggles. I let out a little chuckle, too, but for a much different reason:

I knew what was going on.

They thought that Francis actually believed what I had said, but I knew better. He had already known that I would be reading scripted lines, but I was sure that he hadn't been expecting anything of _that_ caliber.

...

I had to wonder if Alfred and Arthur were still over there, as they had agreed to hang around for a little while longer to make some plans.

I shuddered at the thought of what they were going to do.

Or, rather, what they would have _me _do.

This... this could actually be scarier than what Emily and Madeline were having me do.

"Oh, God," Emily said, wiping a tear away. "That was _great_."

Madeline nodded. "You know, we've gone through a lot of paper for these phone calls. Maybe we should invest in a dry-erase board."

Ah, Madeline. Always the sensible one, even when plotting the downfall of a guy.

"Oh, awesome! I'm totally down for that idea!" Emily cheered.

"Alright," Maddie mumbled as she jotted something down on her list of things to do.

"Um, am I invisible here?" I asked, finally processing the fact that they were making these plans like I wasn't even there.

"Oh, sorry, Allie," Emily apologized. "Why don't you go text Francis and set up a date? We'll finish up here."

And for once, I was happy to oblige.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, looks like the double update this week will happen! Yay! Holy shit, I put the whole thing into a word document... 45 pages. SOOOO glad I decided to split this up into chapters XD_


	31. Chapter 31

Out in the hallway, I sank against the wall and whipped out my phone to text Francis.

'**I hope you realize Emily and Madeline are laughing at you and plotting.' **I typed.

'**Oh well. Soon we'll be laughing. Do you have any idea what they're saying?'**

That was actually a good question. I pressed my ear against the door and strained to hear.

"...Okay, so what's the plan now that they're back together?" Madeline asked.

I heard some rustling- probably Emily jumping onto her bed- and some silence. I thought it could be that they had moved too far away or were speaking too quietly for me to hear, but after a few seconds, I head Madeline sigh.

"You have no idea, do you?"

"I was kinda taking this step-by-step! You know, see how things played out before we made any more plans!"

"...That sounds too level-headed for you," Madeline said, and I nearly burst out laughing at the truth of it. "Ugh, maybe I should just figure something out."

"The floor is yours, m'lady," Emily teasingly offered as I heard Madeline pacing quietly.

"What if we just try to stick to John Tucker? We only got through the first step or two before that failure of that last plan. I don't even know why I thought that would work," she lamented.

"Sure, but won't it be a little harder now that she actually hates him? It might be harder for her to pretend."

"Hm... It wouldn't be for long, though. Just until we can be sure that Francis is so crazy about her that he'll be completely crushed."

That was all I needed to hear.

'**Have you ever seen the movie 'John Tucker Must Die?''**

'**I've heard of it. Why?'**

'**I'll be over with it in a few minutes. I think you should see what you're in for.'**

The only problem would be getting the DVD out and over there without being interrogated by Emily and Madeline...

Well, might as well take a shot.

When I walked back into my room, Emily and Madeline were huddled in the middle of the room. Madeline was showing Emily something she had written down and speaking in a hushed tone even quieter than her normal voice. They heard the door close and jumped like they were guilty of something.

Which they most likely were.

"Oh, hey," Emily said. "What's up? You make a date?"

"Yeah, for tomorrow," I bluffed. "I just came back to get John Tucker. Al wants to see it again."

"Alright," Madeline said a little skeptically. Of _course_ one of them had to doubt me. If you see Francis, just tell him you were getting ready to go to Alfred's when you hung up."

"Yeah, and don't let him try anything. If he does, just be like, 'I thought we were going to take it slow this time,'" Emily instructed in what was probably the worst English accent imitation I've ever heard.

"Um, alright then," I agreed as I grabbed the DVD and left.

As I was walking out the door, though, I heard Emily whisper, "You don't think she's...?"

Yes, Emily. Yes I was.

...

A few seconds after I knocked, Francis flung open the door and all but pushed me inside.

"Madeline told me to tell you that I was getting ready to go to Alfred's when I hung up," I said as I gave him the movie and a quick peck on the cheek.

"So they don't know you're here?" He asked with a bit of a devilish grin.

"Nope. They might have their suspicions, but they have no proof. I'll stop by Al's room later to let him know to back me up."

He nodded. "Good. Go make yourself comfortable," he said, motioning toward the bed.

I climbed onto it and thought about the last time I had been here to watch a movie with Francis. It felt like an eternity, but could it really have been only a few days? In any case, I watched Francis put the movie into the DVD player and studied his back and shoulders moving against the thin fabric of his shirt.

Maybe...

I got up and quietly walked over to him, and once I was behind him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and blew a gentle stream of air into his ear, making him jump a bit.

"A-ah," he gasped as he flushed slightly and turned toward me. His expression quickly changed to feature a sort of coy smile as he asked, "Are you sure you want to watch the movie? We could just stay like this."

"Or, we could do both," I suggested as I moved so that I was sitting against the foot of the bed and patted the floor next to me. Francis shook his head, but smiled as he moved himself next to me, put an arm around my shoulders, and started the movie.

And so John Tucker became aware of his own demise.

* * *

><p><em>AN: OK, so you guys got an early update last week, and a double update this week, and one of the chapters was longer than usual... I feel like I'm spoiling you guys and myself XD This actually would have been up MUCH earlier, but my brother was on the computer for 6 FUCKING HOURS. I JUST got on an hour ago._

_You know, for some reason, I always imagine Francis in a plain, fitted, white button-down (or is it up for guys? I can never remember.) shirt. It's weird, but he looks good in it, so whatever._

_ALSO! Does anyone remember that challenge in chapter 14 with 'the inner mechanitions of Em's mind are an enigma'? Well, someone finally got it! Congrats, Cupcakinator, you win 10 points and are in a three-way tie for second place! I should really do another challenge soon, but I have nothing right now._


	32. Chapter 32

By the time the movie was over, both our backs were sore from sitting against the bed instead of on it.

That probably wasn't my best idea.

"Well, that was better than I thought," Francis said as he got up and stretched, then extended a hand to me. "I thought they were going to _actually_ kill me."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I took his hand. "Yeah, now you only have to worry about your reputation."

"Oh, how will I ever live without it?" He asked dramatically as he draped his left hand (his right was still holding mine) over his forehead.

I looked at the clock on his nightstand, and seeing that it was almost curfew, I squeezed Francis' hand lightly and gave him a kiss.

"I should probably go," I told him. "Are you free tomorrow?"

He nodded. "I'll text you. You're going to Alfred's now, right? Take the movie with you and leave it with him. It might do your brother some good to see this." He leaned down to give me one more peck, then walked toward the door, my hand still in his. "If I don't talk to you before you go to sleep, sweet dreams, mon cher," he said as he opened the door and watched me walk down the hall.

...

On my way back to the girls' dorm, I thought about what I was supposed to say to Emily and Madeline when I got back. Al had understood when I explained and promised to back me up if he needed to.

So all I had to do was remind them where I said I would be if they asked, right?

Right.

I opened the door to my room and was greeted by the sight of Em and Maddie on the floor surrounded by a sea of movies that they were sorting through.

I stood there for a second before I finally asked, "Um... What are you guys doing?"

It was Madeline who looked up first and pushed up her glasses as she answered. "We're looking for a movie like John Tucker that we can use as inspiration. Speaking of which, where is it?"

"It's at Alfred's. Do we really have to use another movie?" I asked.

"Ideally. That way, we'll have a definite course of action to follow."

"And we'll know how to gloat when it works," Emily chirped.

"Do we _really_ need to gloat? I mean, wouldn't it be better if I crush him, give him some hope that I'll get back together with him, then crush him again by either rejecting him once and for all or by being with someone else?"

Wow. My mind scared me sometimes.

Maddie was speechless, and so was Emily for a few seconds before she told me, "...Allie, you're an evil genius."

OK, my mind _really_ scared me if it was able to come up with an Emily-approved plan in the space of a few seconds that got me called an evil genius.

Maddie pushed her glasses back up her nose again. "I suppose that's better than what we were planning. Plus, it takes a lot less work."

"And that means I get to relax," Emily added as she fell backward onto her bed with her hands pillowed behind her head.

"No, you don't," Madeline objected. "We still have a lot of work to do."

Emily groaned, but Madeline just glared at her and started gathering up some of the movies as Emily kept lounging. I got down on the floor to help her, since it was obvious Em wouldn't be providing any assistance any time soon.

Except for, you know, sabotaging my relationship.

"Are you going to need any help getting these back to your room?" I asked, noticing that some of the movies weren't mine or Emily's.

Maddie stopped glaring at Emily for a moment and nodded. After a few minutes of silent gathering, we had all of Maddie's DVDs and headed down the hall to her room.

Just as she was about to open the door, I remembered what I had wanted to ask her earlier, and since she and Emily were glued to each other's sides more often than usual, this might be my only chance.

"Hey, Maddie," I started cautiously. "Do you _actually_ like this plan? You just don't seem as into it as Emily. Then again, Em _does _tend to get overexcited sometimes," I chuckled, and earned one from her, too.

"Well, I mean, it feels kind of weird that this whole thing with Francis started with me. He's not a bad guy; he's just made some bad choices. Plus, now that I've got Gil, I'm worried that if this works and he finds out about it, he'll leave. I know it's silly, but a lot of stuff has happened since this started. So to be honest: no, I don't like this."

I grinned at her and answered giddily, "Well, then, I think I might have a proposition for you."

* * *

><p><em>AN: OK, so it's not Friday in most of the world, but I don't really give a shit about that. I'm just gald I was able to get this up tonight so that I can spend the rest of the weekend chilling, writing my friend's birthday present, and working on my research paper (Schoolwork? Responsibility? What are these foreign concepts of which you speak?) So I should probably go get some sleep so that I can be awake for tomorrow. Goodnight, guys! I love you all~!_


	33. Chapter 33

"You're... You're not going to tell Emily, are you? Please don't. You know how she gets," Madeline pleaded. I had never really notice it, but she seemed almost... _scared_ of Emily. I mean, Emily had the power to potentially kill a reputation, but Madeline...

She acted like Emily could kill _her_.

"No, nothing like that," I assured her after my mental mini-rant. "Actually-"

Unfortunately, though, before I could recruit another double-agent, I was cut off by a scream.

Emily's scream.

Maddie and I exchanged a look and tore off down the hallway back to my room.

Alright, I know that Emily was still trying to sabotage my relationship with Francis, but we had known each other forever, and with all those years of friendship came a loyalty that wasn't easily broken.

When we opened the door, nothing seemed immediately wrong except for Emily brandishing her bat (but that could be easily explained several ways), but as we walked inside, we saw that one of the windows had a jagged hole in it and that a rock was lying on the floor with the shattered remains of Captain Glub!'s fish tank.

Oh _hell_ no.

Mess with my window; fine.

Mess with my friends; get ready for an ass-kicking.

But mess with my _fish_...

_Someone_ would have hell to pay.

Attached to the rock was a note that (luckily) hadn't gotten too wet when it nearly killed my fish. Madeline scurried over to Emily to try to calm her down while I gathered the note and Captain Glub! and put him in a cup filled with water for the moment.

I leaned against the counter in the bathroom, carefully unfolded the paper to avoid tearing the already delicate parchment, and read the neat print enclosed:

'**I know what you're doing. Stop, or I'll tell Gilbert and Francis. –L**'

Well.

This was a bit of a predicament.

Not because I might have to give up the plan, obviously, but because _Emily_ might have to give up the plan.

She would _not _ be happy about this.

"Hey, guys," I called tentatively. "You might want to look at this note."

They hurried into the bathroom and craned their necks to read over my shoulder.

"Well, this is a bit of a predicament," Madeline said, vocalizing my earlier thoughts.

Emily muttered something under her breath, then turned away from us. "You guys get the movies back to Maddie's room. I need to think about this... And report the window to housing... Yeah, I should probably do that first..." She said hollowly as she moved out and went toward her phone lying on the bed.

Madeline and I looked at each other silently, then decided that it would be better to leave her alone than risk incurring her wrath, and headed out into the hallway toward the abandoned pile of movies.

"So... Um, what's this proposition of yours?" She asked quietly as we lifted the stacks.

"Oh, right. Long story short, I found out that _Felicia _kissed _Francis_, and you know that I've never been keen on the plan, so I figured that now that I know it wasn't his fault, I would try to make the plan fail. I've started working with Al, Francis, and Arthur to try to figure out a way to end this thing once and for all," I explained, purposely leaving out the fact that I knew that she and Emily had orchestrated the kiss. "So, since you're against the plan, will you help us?"

Madeline was silent as we stood in the middle of her room for a few seconds. Finally, she nodded. "I don't hate Francis, but I hate what Emily's become because of this plan. So, then... Francis knows about FBMD, I take it?"

I sighed. "Not all of it, obviously, but yes, he knows about it."

She nodded again. "Well, you should probably get back before Emily thinks we're throwing a party without her."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "She would," I agreed. "I'll let the others know you're with us."

"Great. Goodnight," she said as I started to walk down the hall. Just as I was about to open the door, though, I heard Emily yelling to herself.

"_Fuck!_ Goddamn it! Why _now?_ We were making such great progress," she screamed. "Alright, alright, just try to think about this rationally, Em. The note was signed 'L,' and the only people who have _any_ connection to the plan with the initial 'L' are Lovino and...Ludwig. Of fucking _course_. It has to be him. God, I should have known Felicia wouldn't be able to do this. She couldn't deal with this and went crying to her boyfriend, as always. _Fuck_, we're screwed. Oh, man, how do we fix this? If he tells Gil and Francis, it's all over. Ugh! Come _on_, Emily! _Think!_ There's _always_ a way to get a weasel to stop from spilling the beans," she thought out loud (actually, forget thinking out loud, that was a bloody _soliloquy_) as she paced back and forth loudly. She stopped suddenly and said, "Shit, I've got it. I've gotta tell Maddie and Allie," and started to head toward the door, so I scurried back down the hall to make it look like I was coming from Madeline's.

Which I technically was.

But that's not the point.

Emily flung open the door and stepped into the hall, saw me, and instructed, "Get Maddie. I've got a plan."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Late update is late. Sorry about that. This honestly would have been up yesterday, but it was my brother's birthday (God, I still can't believe he's 18 now ._.) and literally **just** as I was finishing typing this chapter up, my parents called me saying that it was time to go. So we went into NYC (which was a fun silent 2 hours total in the car) and didn't get back from dinner until almost 11, at which point, my bro cammandeered the computer._

_To anybody who read Wannabe Uchiha's review, I just want to clarify: this isn't self-insert. I explained to them and they had forgotten about the Nyotalia names. This is fem!England, not myself. Just so that's perfectly clear to anyone who might have any misconceptions._


	34. Chapter 34 Madeline's POV

_Maddie's POV_

* * *

><p>After Alice left, I fell back onto my bed and started to think.<p>

Did I really have to pick a side?

Why couldn't I just stay friends with Alice and Emily and forget any of this had happened? Maybe even talk to Francis again...

Was any of this even necessary? It was just turning into a giant war, and with war comes carnage and heartbreak.

'_This is your fault, you know,'_ a voice said to me. At first, I thought it was in my head, but I bolted up to see my pet bear sitting between my feet. _'You went out with Francis first, and it snowballed from there until he asked Alice out and Emily wanted revenge. All this hatred she has for Francis started with you.'_

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. All of this started with me. All because I couldn't...

I sighed as I laid back down again and forced myself to think back to when Francis first asked me out...

...

"_Madeline!" Francis called from behind me as he ran up._

_I turned and smiled at him. "Hello, Francis. Are you ready?"_

_He nodded and grinned as he linked our arms together as he always did when we went out to lunch like this._

_I had to admit, though, I was a little jealous of the fact that Emily and Alice both had brothers._

_Not that Francis didn't do a good job of acting like a brother to me, it was just, sometimes..._

_I felt like he wanted something __**more**__._

_I mean, Em and Alice had warned me that no guy wants to 'just be friends' forever, unless he was your brother or your best friend's brother, but sometimes, the way Francis looked at me..._

_Let's just say it didn't exactly look like brotherly affection._

"_Madeline, I'll be frank; I'm not sure how much longer I can do this," he confided in me._

"_Um, d-do what?"_

"_Act as a brother figure to you. A man can only be with a pretty girl for so long before he loses his senses," he explained with a hint of a smile playing across his lips. "So what I'm trying to say is: will you go out with me?"_

_I stared at him in shock for a minute; we had stopped, and he had unlaced his arm from mine. He had been looking at the ground when he asked me, but now he was gazing down at me with a look of hope that I just couldn't resist. Finally, I nodded, causing Francis to surprise me with a big hug._

_..._

_Less than a week later, Emily and Alice were helping me get ready for my second date with Francis when Emily spoke up._

"_Isn't it kinda weird that you're dating a guy who's practically been your bro since we were kids?" She asked._

"_Emily, hush," Alice scolded. "You're making her nervous."_

_She was right, though. I had tried not to think about it, but I was essentially going out with my brother._

_But before I could lie to assure them that it was fine, there was a knock on the door signaling Francis' arrival._

_..._

_Later that night, Francis and I were standing outside the girls' dorm rather awkwardly; I was looking down at my feet while he was rocking back and forth on his._

_I put my hand on the door and began to say, "W-well, I guess I'll-"_

_I didn't get to finish my sentence, though, because at that moment, Francis pulled me close to him and pressed his lips against mine. His tongue lightly poked my lips, asking wordlessly for permission to enter._

_Realizing at last what was happening, I pushed him away and stammered, "I-I'm sorry, Francis, b-but maybe it'd be better if we ended this," as I sprinted upstairs._

_About halfway up, it finally hit me that I had just broken up with one of my best friends, and that he would probably never want to see me again._

_**'Maybe it's not too late,'**__ I thought desperately as I dashed back down the stairs._

_When I opened the door again, Francis was nowhere to be found, and I had to admit to myself that I had just lost one of the best friends and relationships that I would ever have._

_Climbing the steps again, I realized I was crying and knew that Emily would want a reason. If I told them what __**really**__ happened, Emily would only tease me and make me feel worse about losing Francis just because he had kissed me._

_As I pondered it, I was approaching Emily and Alice's room, still crying my eyes out. By the time I reached their door, I had decided that the safest thing to tell them was that he had felt me up in the movie theatre._

_Alice opened the door when I knocked, and seeing the sorry shape I was in, ushered me inside and made me sit down on the bed with her before asking me what happened._

"_He... In the theatre, he, he tried to feel me up," I lied._

_Just then, I heard a door slam, and saw Emily storm out of the bathroom._

"_That fucker did __**what**__," she demanded._

"_Oh, there you are," Alice said. "I was beginning to wonder when you would make your dramatic entrance. Go and get Maddie a glass of water, will you?"_

_Emily groaned, but nonetheless walked back into the bathroom, but not before calling out, "That son of a bitch is gonna __**pay**__."_

_..._

_The next day during lunch, I couldn't help but stare at Francis across the cafeteria to see if I could see anything relating to last night on his face. His eyes had bags under them, and he was slouching and picking at his food silently while Antonio and Gilbert were joking and laughing next to him._

_Emily caught me staring and got up. "That's it. I'm going over there to give that fuckass a piece of my mind," she told us as she stomped off toward him._

_I looked at Alice, and like she knew what I was thinking, nodded for me to follow Emily._

_..._

_The initial part of the confrontation was essentially what I had expected: Emily yelling at Francis with more explicatives than necessary while he played with his food and I stood behind a pillar, nearly invisible as always._

_But eventually, Francis, obviously fed up, grabbed her wrist and brought her outside and to his car. He let her inside while I watched. In the back seat, I saw some fabric fly through the air, which I took as my cue to leave._

_As I made my way back to Alice, I decided that it was a good thing that Francis was willing to move on, and that I would, too._

...

After that, Emily came back and told us what had happened, I recalled. And even though I was furious at Francis for what he did to Emily, I could never stay mad at him for long and eventually dropped it.

Needless to say, Emily didn't.

I told myself that I would somehow stop the web of lies and hatred that I had started when there was a knock on my door and Alice poked her head in.

"Emily wants us. _Now_."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Whee~! Long chapter~! OK, I can't remember what I wanted to write in here, so trivia time! I snuck the name of a Vocaloid song somewhere in here. First person to tell me what it is and the one who did it gets 10 points! Also, I found my Captain Glub! Pictures are on my tumblr: ipwnyouall. tumblr. com_


	35. Chapter 35

Madeline looked at me blankly for a second before nodding and getting up.

"Don't worry," I assured her as she followed me into the hall. "Francis knows about the plan, so hearing about it won't surprise him. We just have to worry about Gilbert... And Emily. She's not taking this well."

"Um, a-actually, Alice, I don't think I want to be a part of _any_ of this anymore. It's just... w-well, I'll explain it to everyone tomorrow. I promise I won't tell Emily, but I just really want to get some sleep. I'll contact everyone to meet me under the maple outside the library after class tomorrow. Goodnight," she told me as she retreated back into her room.

I started at the door for a minute trying to figure out what had just happened before shaking myself back to reality and heading over to Emily.

"She just wants to sleep. But she said that she wants to meet us all under the library maple after class tomorrow."

"Fine, whatever. We don't need her for this plan. We'll have to do it fast, though. Basically we have you make out with Al on a bench somewhere and make sure Francis sees you," she said.

'_Because you're so good at staging fake make out sessions,'_ I thought.

I was about to agree, just for one last joke, but instead heard myself saying, "No."

She looked at me like I had just told her I was a cannibal, but I just turned away from her and walked inside.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" She cried as she followed me.

"I mean, no, I'm not doing it. This has been going on too long, and I'm sick of it. I'm tired. Goodnight," I spat, crawling under the covers.

"...Fine. I see how it is. You think this is all about _you_. You think we can't do this without you. Well, I've got news for you: we _can_ and we _will_. It's not hard to lie, Allie. That's what we've been _doing_."

I wanted desperately to tell her that I knew exactly how much she had been lying, but I held my tongue.

For the moment.

"And you know what else? Francis trusts me." No he doesn't. "If I tell him you've been cheating on him, he'll be crushed." No he won't. He knows better. "I _know_ you know what that means: mission accomplished. You can't stop me, Alice." Watch me. "You can't stop _the plan_. It's in full motion, and it isn't going to slow down until all is said and done."

It hit me then (and I don't understand why I didn't see it earlier) that Emily was _completely insane_. While she kept talking at me, I couldn't help but wonder if we could have helped her or if this was something that was going to happen with or without the plan.

Finally, I tuned back in to hear her say, "And if you think about it, Francis is the reason Captain Glub! almost died. Poor fish..."

Bolting up, I screamed at her, "Do you _hear_ yourself? This plan of yours has driven you bloody _mad_! Go to sleep; it might do you some good. I'm sure Madeline will explain everything tomorrow. And if she doesn't, I will."

She suddenly looked completely exhausted and nodded without a word as she went to turn out the light and actually get some sleep.

And for the first time in a while, I went to sleep feeling calm and confident about what would occur the next day.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry about the short chapter DX I thought for a while that there might not be an update this week because of a lot of shit that's happening here with me, but I was writing last night and pretty much got this chapter done, so yay! Also, Valkyrie99 got the trivia, which means 10 points!_

_Now for a very serious announcement: This story is starting to wrap itself up. I loved doing this, so I'm going to try to make it to 40 chapters, but I just wanted you guys to know as soon as possible._


	36. Chapter 36 Emily's POV

After a quick call to housing and mourning the near-death experience of Captain Glub! (poor fish...), I finally felt able to scream it out.

So I did.

"FUUUUUUUCK! Fuck, fuck, shitty fucking shit, fuck, fuck, fuck! _Fuck!_ Goddamn it! Why now? We were making such great progress," I lamented. "Alright, alright, just try to think rationally, Em... No, _you_ shut up! I totally can! OK, the note was signed 'L,' and the only people who have _any_ connection to the plan with the initial 'L' are Lovino and...Ludwig."

At that point, I went on even more of a rant, occasionally arguing with myself quietly, until I realized that Alice and Maddie needed to know what I had realized.

When I stepped into the hallway, Alice was just coming back from Madeline's, so I sent her back and went through my last-resort plan one more time in my head.

Alice and Alfred would make out on a bench somewhere Francis would be able to see them. He'd be heartbroken, and then mission accomplished. We'd have our revenge, and Alice wouldn't have to deal with him anymore! Everyone wins!

Well, except Francis, but that was the point.

'_I am an evil genius,'_ I couldn't help but think.

But the little voice inside my head that I had argued with earlier, which I quickly silenced, decided to pipe up again.

'_**No you're not. This won't work.'**_

"Of course it will," I told it. "...Shut up! It worked the first time, didn't it? ...Who _are _you?"

'_**I'm you, but I'm also not.'**_

"Will you give me a straight answer? Oh, shit, Alice is coming back! OK, um, just shut up for now. Please?" I begged.

Since there was no answer, I assumed the voice had subsided for the moment. Alice approached me and told me that Madeline wanted to talk to everyone tomorrow, which prompted the voice to speak up again.

'_**She's gonna tell everyone about the plan,'**_it warned.

'_No. Fuck you.'_

I brushed off the fact that Madeline wasn't coming to the planning of our grand finale to Alice and relayed the plan that would do what we wanted quickly and effectively.

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?" I demanded as I watched her go into our room and followed her inside.

"I mean, no, I'm not doing it. This has been going on too long, and I'm sick of it. I'm tired. Goodnight," she snarled as she climbed into bed, still in her clothes.

"...Fine. I see how it is. You think this is all about _you_. You think we can't do this without you" I accused. "Well, I've got news for you: we _can_ and we _will_. It's not hard to lie, Allie. That's what we've been _doing._ And you know what else? Francis trusts me."

'_**No he doesn't,' **_ the voiced, who I decided to call Mary just for convenience, contradicted, but I kept ranting mindlessly.

Eventually, though, I must have said something really fucking stupid, because Alice started to flip her shit on me, calling me insane and stuff like that. When she was done, I felt exhausted for her and, even though I just tuned her out, nodded and went to turn out the light.

...

A few hours later, I was still lying awake listening to Mary ranting about Gandhi, and the world going blind, and betraying my friends, and blah, blah, blah.

'_**You realize that if anyone is to blame for Captain Glub!'s near-death experience, it's you, right?'**_

What made it worse was that when I had laid down and closed my eyes, I had almost felt like something had snapped in my head. I saw Mary me, heard more voices, and even saw a leprechaun, a unicorn, and what looked like a green rabbit with wings sleeping peacefully around Alice's bed. As time moved on, I saw fairies flitting around the room and giggling with each other. Mary was still scolding me, and the voices were saying something about emerging from their eternal slumber or some shit like that. I looked up and nearly screamed when I saw a giant clownfish swimming in the air above me.

And when I say clownfish, I _mean_ clownfish. It had a red wig, face paint, and even giant shoes. I have no idea how it got the shoes on, because I mean, come on: _fins_, but I figured out that this was all a dream, so I decided to live a little and do something crazy. I mean, as long as I'm already supposedly crazy, right?

'What are you doing?' The fish asked.

"I'm going to make out with my best friend's fish."

'_**That isn't a good idea, Emily,'**_ Mary warned, obviously giving up on trying to lecture me.

"Psh. You're just figments of my imagination. And it's not like what I do in dreams really matter."

So I walked into the bathroom and took Captain Glub! out of his temporary plastic cup. He looked like he was already puckering his lips, so I pulled him against my face and kissed him square on the mouth.

Then the lights turned on and Alice was staring at me in the doorway.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing to my fish?"

'_**I told you it wasn't a good idea."**_

"Shut up, Mary."

"Who the hell is Mary? And put Captain Glub! back in the cup before he really does die."

"Oh, don't worry, Allie. This is a _dreeeeaaammm_," I assured her, waving my arms around for emphasis.

She walked over to me and slapped me on the cheek. "How did that feel, eh?"

"Ow! Dammit, Allie, that... hurt... Oh, oh my God, this isn't a dream. There really is a giant floating clown-clownfish thing. Oh my God, I really _am_ crazy!"

What happened after that is blurry, but I started blubbering and whimpering something so incoherently that even _I_ couldn't tell what I was saying. Alice put Captain Glub! back into his cup, led me into the bedroom, and laid me down in bed.

"It'll be alright, love," she told me soothingly. "Just get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

And so with everyone—and I mean everyone—watching, I finally closed my eyes to hopefully get a little sleep before I could worry about what Madeline would say the next day.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yay! Crazy people! OK, so just as a heads up, depending on what happens the weekend of the 8th, there might not be an update until Sunday. I'm gonna be going to AnimeNEXT with some friends, so whoever's gonna be there, look for and England with an America, possibly Canada, and potentially France and another girl who will not be cosplaying... and my mum. :T I'll have more info next week, but that's all the info for now. Now for trivia! For five points, what is the Gandhi quote Mary is referencing?_


	37. Chapter 37

Waking up in the morning after Emily's little... incident was surprisingly calm at first. I opened my eyes, still in that hazy period between sleep and consciousness to find Emily resting her chin in her hands, grinning at me in a crazed way a few inches from my face.

"Good morning, starshine," she greeted. "The earth says 'hello.'"

Jumping back as best I could still under the covers, I screamed at her, "Oh my bloody _shit_!"

She just cocked her head and stared blankly at me. "You should probably see a doctor about that."

Well, there went any hope I might have had that last night was a crazy, messed up dream. Emily was insane and seeing things.

This was _not_ good.

She turned to the side and muttered something about clowns to her imaginary friends before turning back to grin at me.

Huh.

So _this_ must be what it's like for people watching me and Arthur talking to our magical friends.

Speaking of which, apparently Emily could see _them_, too, because she was striking up a conversation with the faeries.

"No, no," she laughed, "_you_ pour the tea first this evening!"

The faerie this was directed at, a young brunette in a pink flower dress named Blossom, giggled and said, "Fine, I'll pour the tea if you serve the cakes."

Wait, were they planning a bloody _tea party_?

I turned to my unicorn, and like it was reading my mind, simply answered, "Yes."

Glancing at the clock and realizing that we only had about twenty minutes to get ready and across campus, I tried to drag Emily out of her stupor as best I could.

I went to the bathroom and filled a cup with cold water, then came back and proceeded to splash it in Emily's face, unfortunately hitting Blossom and Tinkerbelle in the process.

"Time for school."

Emily perked up, for once looking excited at the prospect of getting an education. "Okay! I'll see you girls later! Come on Mary, Clown Prince of Whales. Elder Gods, you stay here," she said, addressing her own imaginary friends as she attempted to leave the room in her pajamas.

An invisible force, which I assumed was "Mary," pulled her back in though. She looked down at herself and muttered, "Oh, right."

Suddenly, I heard my phone buzz and saw that a text from Francis had arrived.

'**Good morning starshine. The earth says 'hello.' :)'**

'**Oh, God. I woke up this morning to find Emily right next to me grinning, and then she said that.'**

'**?'**

'**She's completely lost it. She's seeing and hearing things, and last night, I found her making out with my fish.'**

'**Well, um, that's... different.'**

'**Tell me about it. I have to get ready. Did you see the message from Maddie?'**

'**Yes. I'll see you there, mon cher.'**

Well, with that out of the way, and Emily dressing herself, I was able to get myself ready.

While I was brushing my teeth, though, I realized that I had neglected to do any of my homework.

Any of it.

'_I wonder if my teachers will let me say my insane roommate ate it...'_

OK, that was mean. I would just try to do it before the teachers checked.

Luckily, Emily was done early, so we managed to get to our respective classes with time to spare.

...

The classes, even the ones that I normally found riveting, were all dull and listless in comparison to the memory of last night and the anticipation of this afternoon. The teachers seemed to drone on and on endlessly in a monotone and I soon found myself doodling on my notes or just fidgeting in my seat. In the classes I had with Emily or Madeline, I could see that they were just as, if not more, anxious and just wanted to get out of class.

Finally, like a chorus of angels, the usually deafening bells signified the end of school, and I made a mad dash to the library.

Soon enough, all the others convened under the old maple and sat in a half-circle with Madeline standing at the mouth.

She looked nervous, so I gave her a smile of encouragement, which caused her to smile back and begin to speak.

"Well, n-now that we're all here, let's get st-started."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Clown Prince of Whales? Get it? Instead of Crown Prince of Wales? :D I'm not funny :T But in all seriousness, the next chapter is probably going to be the last followed by a two-part epilogue. Why don't I just make it on part, you ask? You'll see. And since we're nearing the end, have a three-question trivia extravaganza!_

_1. What is the nickname Alfred tried to give Alice that she rejected? -10 points_

_2. My favourite quote (or at least part of it) is "...A good story, you don't really write. It was always there, you just uncover it," was said by whom? First name is fine. -15 points_

_3. How many points of view will the epilogue be in? -5 points_

_Also, guys, poll on my profile for your favourite character._


	38. Chapter 38

Madeline, once she got started, was almost impossible to stop. She started off slow, but gradually got the ball rolling.

"Well, I called you all here today to get something off my chest."

I expected Gilbert to make some sort of remark like, "Like your shirt?" but surprisingly, he held his tongue and allowed Maddie to continue.

"But first, Francis, I want to apologize to you. Just a few years ago, you were like a brother to me, but then... then I screwed it all up. You kissed me, and I couldn't deal with it. And, even though you probably hate m now, I just want to say I'm sorry and I wish that we could still be friends."

At the end of the first part of her speech, Francis got up from his spot on the grass beside me and went up to her. He pulled her into his arms, just like he had done when we were kids and said softly to her, but loud enough that we all could hear, "I could never hate you mon petit ami."

"D-don't say that too soon," she told him. "I'm not done yet." Francis nodded and gave her a peck on the forehead as he returned and I flinched inwardly at what would come next. "As much as I hate to say it, this next part is even worse. Something that happened shortly after _my_ incident with Francis caused something to... break inside Emily. When Alice started going out with him, Emily proposed revenge, and even though she and Al were the only ones who truly wanted it, we played along. Eventually, Emily and I planned for Francis to 'cheat,'" she said, with air quotes, "on Alice to get her back in the plan, because she was going to leave if we didn't make her hate him. But she found out and started conspiring with Alfred, Arthur, and Francis himself to bring our plan down. I'd rather be a peacemaker than a soldier in this war. So, that's why I called you all here today: to tell those of you who didn't know about the plan about it and to tell those of you that did know that I'm stopping it." She seemed to be confident about all this until she finished with a timid, "Is, um, is there anything anybody else wants to say?"

She stood there awkwardly in the silence for a minute when a little voice from somewhere on the side called, "Yay, Maddie!" We all turned to where the voice was coming from and saw none other than Kumarie, the polar bear that could never remember her owner's name.

She padded over to Madeline and allowed herself to be picked up while Madeline herself teared up a bit.

While this was going on, I saw Arthur and Alfred whispering to each other, and eventually they nodded and stood up. They each put a hand on Madeline's shoulders. "We'll take it from here, love," Arthur said.

"Hey, guys! What's up? You all ready to _party_?" Alfred asked, no doubt practicing for his supposed dream job of being a DJ.

This little outburst, though, earned him a smack on the head courtesy of my brother.

I always knew there was a reason he was my favourite.

"Calm down, git. No one's here to party," he said, then turned his attention back to us. "Well, since none of you are daft, I'm sure you can all tell that what I'm about to announce affects both myself and Alfred..."

"Get on with it!" Someone, probably Gilbert, called.

"Fine, fine. Alfred and I are in a relationship," he finished bluntly. "Emily, Alice, I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but at least now you know."

I decided not to tell him that I already knew and gave him the moment of freedom that comes with coming out.

Alfred and Arthur sat down again, this time holding hands, as Madeline sat up in the little niche she had found in Gilbert's arms.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say that she fought against the boa constrictor-like grip Gil had gotten on her when she sat down, but that doesn't sound nearly as nice, now does it?

"W-well, um, does anyone have anything else they want to say?" She asked, trying not to jostle Kumarie in her struggle for freedom.

It didn't matter, though, because the little bear got up on her own and padded over to the opening of the semi-circle.

She daintily cleared her throat as best she could. "Who's she?" She asked, gesturing to Maddie.

Kumarie then laid down on the ground without waiting for an answer and went to sleep. Maddie hung her head in defeat, and the rest of us—including Emily, even though her master plan had been ruined—started to laugh. I tried to imagine what we looked like to outsiders, but all I could think of was a college brochure picture of a group of students sitting on the grass and laughing.

Huh. Maybe it actually _did_ happen like that sometimes.

Francis pulled me back to reality and closer to him, and I started laughing with my friends again as I realized something:

For the first time in a while, I was really, truly happy.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Whee! Early update! So. Last chapter before the two-part epilogue, guys. I'm gonna miss you all. Both parts will be up next Friday. The trivia will be up until the last epilogue and the poll will be up for a while. I swear, you guys are gonna hate me for the first part of the epilogue XD To anyone going to AnimeNEXT on Saturday, I'll be an England with an America, Canada, my mum, and we'll probably be meeting up with a friend who may or may not be France._


	39. Epilogue 1 Requiem for a Glub

_Captain Glub!'s Point of View_

Glub.

Glubglub glub glub glubglubglub. Glub glubglub glubglub glub glub glubglub glubglubglub glub. Glubglub glub glub glub glub.

Glubglubglubglub glubglub glub glubglub. Glub glubglubglub glubglubglubglubglub. Glubglubglubglub glub glubglub glubglubglub glubglub glubglub glub glub.

Glubglubglubglub glubglub glub glubglub glub glubglubglub glubglub glub. Glubglubglubglubglub glubglub glubglub glubglubglub glubglub glub. Glub glubglub glubglub glubglubglub. Glubglub glubglubglub glub glubglub.

Glubglubglubglub glub glubglub glub.

"Glubglubglub?" Glubglub glubglub glub.

"Glub," Glub glubglubglub.

Glubglub glubglub glubglubglub glubglub glub glub glubglub glub. Glubglubglub glub glub glubglub. Glubglub glub glubglub glub. Glubglub glub glub.

Glubglub. "Glubglubglub. Glubglub glub glub."

"Glub glub glubglub."

Glub glubglub. "Glubglub," glub glub. Glub glubglubglub. "Glubglubglub."

Glubglub glubglub glubglubglub. Glub glubglub glubglub. Glubglub glubglubglub glub glubglub glubglubglubglub glub. Glub glubglub glub glub glubglub glub glubglubglub.

Glub glub glubglub glubglubglub glubglubglubglub glub glubglub glubglubglub. Glubglubglub glub glubglub glubglub glubglubglub glub. Glub glubglub glubglubglubglub glub glubglub glub glubglub glubglub.

Glubglubglub glub glubglubglub glub glubglub glubglub. Glub glubglub glub glubglubglub.

Glub glubglub glub glubglub glub glub.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Oh my God, I'm so sorry about this. I've been wanting to do a troll chapter with this for a while and never got around to it until now. Oh, wow, I'm really, really sorry. Please don't hate me for this DX_

_Also, Valkyrie99 and blufan got the first two questions right, getting them both 25 points! But nobody got the thrid one right. Anyway, on to the real epilogue! _


	40. Epilogue 2 Faerie Tale Endings Do Exist

_Arthur's Point of View_

**6 years later...**

I sit in the car with Alfred chatting pleasantly by my side. I twist the small silver band on my left hand as he says something I don't hear and glances sideways at me.

"Sorry, what?"

His grip on the wheel tightens almost unperceivably as he looks over again. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" He asks again.

And he has good reason for asking. As much as I disliked Francis in our childhood, I hadn't protested when he began dating my sister. I had figured that since he, Alfred, and I would be graduating, they would soon break up.

I had been wrong.

They had stayed together through Alice's senior year of high school and all through college.

Now they're getting married.

"Artie...?" Alfred asks, and I realize I still haven't answered him.

"Do you want an honest answer?" I ask, and he nods. "Then no." Alfred turns his head to me, completely ignoring the road. "Watch the road, git!"

He turns back to the road but still frowns and asks, "How are you not okay with it? You're giving her away!"

He has another good point. Within the hour, I'll be giving my baby sister to my former archrival for the rest of her life.

I open my mouth to explain, but no words come out, so I play with my ring again. Alfred sees and smiles at it. I try to speak again, and this time, I'm able to articulate my thoughts.

"I may not be okay with it, but it's her decision. I may not approve of her choice in men, either, but she's happy, and that's all that matters." Alfred starts grinning at me, so I continue, "Besides, I'm her big brother; I'm _supposed_ to not want her to grow up."

Alfred chuckles and we drive in comfortable silence for the last few minutes until we reach the church.

"You go get Alice. I'll go get us some seats," Alfred says as he heads for the front of the church.

I walk around the side of the building until I find the room that the ladies would be getting ready in. I knock on the door and hear Madeline, the maid of honour, call out, "You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding!"

I crack the door open a bit and step inside, saying, "I think that only applies to the groom."

I'm immediately tackled by Alice in her wedding dress. "Arthur! Where have you been?" She asks, holding me at arm's length now.

I shake my head and hand her a small box. "Here, something blue."

She opens the box, and her eyes widen when she sees what was inside. Madeline peers over her shoulder and laughs. Alice takes it out of the box and pins it on her dress right over her heart.

It's a fish-shaped pin in the exact shade of the late Captain Glub!'s scales. It took me forever to find it in the right colour, but the look on Alice's face makes it worth it. She looks up from the pin and comes to hug me again, skirt bustling.

"Thank you, Arthur," she whispers.

She lets go, and I check my watch.

"Well, ladies, it looks like we have a wedding to attend."

I take their arms and walk with them to the front doors of the church. I peek inside to see everything in order: the guests are seated, Francis and the priest are at the altar, and Gilbert is slouching next to Francis.

I give a small signal and open the doors to allow Kumarie to walk ahead and scatter flower petals. Madeline follows and soon we hear "Here Comes the Bride" playing on the organ. As much as I don't want to, as much as I want to keep her here as my baby sister, I walk Alice into the church and up the aisle.

The priest goes through the standard question of who is giving the bride away, and we step up. I'm about to let Alice step up to the altar when she throws her arms around my neck.

I hug her back and kiss her cheek and murmur to her, "It's time, love."

She nods and releases me to step to the altar next to her husband-to-be. As I take my seat next to my husband, I see Francis mouth something to Alice, and she blushes in response.

Alfred puts his hand over mine and I allow myself to get lost in my thoughts while the priest drones on.

I can't help but wonder what Alice is thinking through all of this when I start listening again and hear, "...And do you, Alice Rose Kirkland, take this man, Francis Bonnefoy, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Alice smiles and turns to the priest.

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

As the priest lifts his arms, Alice and her new husband embrace and kiss each other just like in every corny romcom she, Madeline, Emily (who is doing much better), and Alfred made me watch.

They run back down the aisle hand-in-hand, dodging the rice everyone is throwing to wish them good luck. And as I watch them, I realize something:

They're really, truly happy.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yay, real epilogue! Oh, God I hope this ended the story OK. Wow, it's so weird to not be tied down to this story anymore. But it's a happy weird. And a sad weird because you guys were what kept me going on this when the going got tough. No, really, i love you guys and I'm gonna miss you all so much. Oh my God I'm starting to tear up. DO YOU GUYS SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME? But seriously, guys, I'm gonna miss you all like, so freaking much now that this is over. Well, goodbye, I guess. I love you all!_


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